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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. wax — to grow
  3. board — to get on
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rest — what's left
  7. capital — money
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. capital — a city
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rest — a break
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. board — a committee
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rest — what's left

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