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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. board — a committee
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. band — a ring
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. board — to get on
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. band — a music group
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hand — help
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — in cards

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