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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. spring — the season
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spring — of water
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bound — tied together
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bound — obliged
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. board — a committee
  16. bound — certain
  17. wax — to grow
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — a coil
  21. squash — to crush
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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