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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rock — a stone
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wax — to grow
  13. band — a music group
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rock — music
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a ring

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