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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lean — thin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. board — to get on
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pop — music
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. march — music
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. pop — soda
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lean — to bend
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — to bear
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. board — a committee
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. march — the month

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