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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. board — a committee
  5. band — a music group
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. mate — a partner
  9. last — finally
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. band — a ring
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fine — high quality
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fine — all right
  24. last — to go on

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