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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 120 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wax — to grow
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. board — to get on
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. club — for dancing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. board — a committee
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. cap — a hat
  13. club — for golf
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. club — a group
  21. perch — the fish
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. sharp — clever

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