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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 116 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. row — a line
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. wax — to grow
  15. row — to paddle
  16. craft — a skill
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. degree — temperature
  20. board — a committee
  21. swing — music
  22. craft — boats
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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