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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pitch — completely
  3. board — a committee
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. rock — a stone
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. board — to get on
  17. stem — to come from
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wax — to grow

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