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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ground — a position
  6. firm — steady
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ground — crushed
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. court — of a king
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — decided
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. board — a committee
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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