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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — to get on
  6. stock — shares
  7. wax — to grow
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. board — a committee
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. content — happy
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. plane — a tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. stock — goods
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rest — a break
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. content — the amount
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — videos and posts

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