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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. hand — in cards
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a ring
  6. court — of a king
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. court — of law
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. spring — a coil
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a music group
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spring — the season
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. court — for sport
  22. hand — help
  23. spring — of water
  24. wax — in the ear

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