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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. board — a committee
  4. charge — electricity
  5. last — to go on
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. board — to get on
  9. root — the cause
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — final
  12. wax — to grow
  13. charge — in control
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. root — of a word
  16. charge — a price
  17. last — finally
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mate — a partner
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. mate — a friend
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — in the ear

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