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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chip — for betting
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. branch — a division
  11. board — a committee
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. board — to get on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitch — completely
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. board — a flat piece

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