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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. board — a committee
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. object — a thing
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. dip — to sink
  17. wax — to grow
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pop — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — an aim
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — soda
  24. chest — a box

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