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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — to grow
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. mug — to rob
  8. spring — the season
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. mug — a face
  12. object — an aim
  13. spring — a coil
  14. game — a match
  15. board — a committee
  16. spring — of water
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pitch — completely

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