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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spell — letters
  7. band — a music group
  8. file — a document
  9. board — to get on
  10. spring — the season
  11. board — a committee
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. band — a ring
  15. file — a tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. chair — a leader
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spring — of water
  21. spell — magic
  22. suit — to fit
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. spring — a coil

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