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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pit — a hole
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. season — of the year
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — a committee
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. scale — in music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wind — moving air

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