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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cap — a lid
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. capital — a city
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rest — a break
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cap — a hat
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. capital — money
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hand — help
  20. rest — what's left
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a committee
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com