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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — an aim
  4. board — to get on
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. plane — a tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. stem — to come from
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wax — to grow
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. object — a thing
  19. track — a song
  20. board — a committee
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. track — to keep track
  23. field — a subject
  24. track — a path

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