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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — a phone
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. march — the month
  8. bass — low music
  9. march — music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cell — in biology
  12. kid — child
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kid — to tease
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wind — to turn a key

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