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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rule — government
  3. board — a committee
  4. fall — the season
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fine — all right
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rule — a law
  18. wax — to grow
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fine — high quality
  21. board — to get on
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bowl — to roll

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