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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rule — a law
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rule — government
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. band — a ring
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. stem — to come from
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. board — a committee
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. ground — the earth
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ground — crushed
  23. board — to get on
  24. leaves — of a tree

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