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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wax — to grow
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. land — to come down
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. land — ground
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. board — a committee
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. board — to get on
  19. last — final
  20. land — a country
  21. stand — to bear
  22. club — for dancing
  23. shower — rain
  24. club — for golf

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