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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. firm — steady
  4. board — a committee
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. staff — employees
  10. board — to get on
  11. firm — decided
  12. rush — hurry
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. capital — a city
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. firm — a company
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. staff — a stick
  22. capital — money
  23. wax — to grow
  24. staff — employees

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