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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. board — to get on
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mug — a face
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mug — to rob
  12. can — a tin
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. board — a committee
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. can — a tin
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. can — to be able to
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bat — the animal

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