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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. field — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. object — to protest
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. chair — a leader
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. field — farmland
  12. wind — moving air
  13. object — an aim
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. board — to get on
  17. object — a thing
  18. wax — to grow
  19. field — a subject
  20. track — a path
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. board — a committee
  24. track — a song

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