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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — to come down
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mate — a friend
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. land — ground
  11. board — a committee
  12. mate — a partner
  13. board — to get on
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wind — moving air
  22. land — a country
  23. bulb — for light
  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