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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. race — a contest
  4. mug — a cup
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. board — a committee
  7. capital — a city
  8. bank — for money
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. field — farmland
  12. mug — a face
  13. race — humankind
  14. field — a subject
  15. bank — for money
  16. race — the arms race
  17. capital — money
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bank — of a river
  22. field — for sport
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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