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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — a break
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. rest — what's left
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — magic
  19. pop — soda
  20. present — a gift
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pop — music
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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