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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: capital · board · wax · file · ball · chest · arm · bore

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chest — a box
  7. file — a line of people
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bore — to drill
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. board — to get on
  14. capital — money
  15. file — a document
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. file — a tool
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ball — a great time
  23. capital — a city
  24. board — a committee

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