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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — to drop
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — a committee
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. craft — boats
  9. board — to get on
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spell — letters
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. row — to paddle
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fall — the season
  22. spell — magic
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — to drop

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