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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 120 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wound — an injury
  5. board — to get on
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. mate — a friend
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. kid — child
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mate — a partner
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. board — a committee

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