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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. date — the fruit
  9. board — a committee
  10. bore — to drill
  11. board — to get on
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. tube — a container
  18. chair — a leader
  19. tube — the underground
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wax — for sculpting

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