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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. board — to get on
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mine — for digging
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wind — moving air
  14. band — a ring
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. band — a music group
  19. board — a committee
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — magic
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. spell — letters

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