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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. ball — a great time
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rash — a series
  9. stem — to come from
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. rush — hurry
  16. land — a country
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. land — ground
  24. rash — hasty

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