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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rash — hasty
  4. staff — employees
  5. charge — a price
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bass — low music
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bass — the fish
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. board — a committee
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. charge — in control
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — a series
  22. stock — goods
  23. staff — employees
  24. stock — shares

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