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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — to get on
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stock — goods
  10. prune — to trim
  11. court — for sport
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. court — of law
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stock — shares
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — a soup base

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