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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. board — a committee
  3. game — a match
  4. mark — a trace
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rock — music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pound — for dogs

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