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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bank — for money
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bank — for money
  12. pound — a weight
  13. board — a committee
  14. hand — in cards
  15. board — to get on
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bank — of a river
  18. file — a tool
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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