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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. cold — an illness
  11. board — to get on
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bore — to drill
  22. board — a committee
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. plane — a tool

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