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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bank — for money
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mark — a grade
  8. face — to confront
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. face — to point toward
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wax — to grow
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. file — a line of people
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bank — for money
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. sharp — clever
  20. board — to get on
  21. file — a document
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. file — a tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

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