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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wax — to grow
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. track — a path
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. staff — a stick
  19. board — a committee
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. saw — the tool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mark — to pay attention

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