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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bound — certain
  4. fork — in a road
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. board — to get on
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — in sport
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. file — a tool
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. file — a document

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