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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stock — goods
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. fine — high quality
  17. staff — employees
  18. cold — an illness
  19. board — to get on
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — shares
  24. staff — a stick

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