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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. swing — in golf
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. stock — shares
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — goods
  15. court — for sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kick — in football
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. board — a committee
  21. court — of law
  22. pound — a weight
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. prune — to trim

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