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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. ground — the earth
  5. board — to get on
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. board — a committee
  9. band — a ring
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. ground — a position
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. toast — bread
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wax — to grow
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. foot — a measure
  21. row — a line
  22. vault — a safe
  23. band — a music group
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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