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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. march — music
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. march — the month
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wax — to grow
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. board — a committee
  10. mug — a face
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. march — the month
  16. board — to get on
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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