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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wax — to grow
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mug — a face
  10. staff — employees
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. mug — to rob
  14. last — final
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mug — a cup
  18. staff — employees
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. lean — to bend
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — to go on
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — finally

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