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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. board — to get on
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. wax — to grow
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. spring — of water
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rest — a break
  15. bore — to drill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hand — help
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. board — a committee
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — in cards
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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