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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bank — of a river
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. board — a committee
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wax — to grow
  14. date — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — clever
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. leaves — lets stay

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