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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wax — to grow
  9. board — to get on
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spell — magic
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spell — letters
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cold — not warm
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. branch — a division
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. mine — for digging

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