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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. capital — a city
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. firm — decided
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cap — a lid
  12. capital — money
  13. firm — a company
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bulb — for light
  17. board — to get on
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. cap — of ice
  20. firm — steady
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. stand — for spectators

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