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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ground — crushed
  4. board — a committee
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tube — a container
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. rule — government
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rule — a law
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. board — to get on
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — a position
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ground — the earth
  24. straw — a straw man

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