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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. land — ground
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. board — to get on
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. file — a document
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. board — a committee
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. land — a country
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. file — a tool

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