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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. band — a ring
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. dip — to sink
  7. board — to get on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — a phone
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. band — a music group
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cell — in biology

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