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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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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: wax · sharp · tear · board · leaves · chip · last · bay

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. last — to go on
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. last — finally
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chip — for betting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. last — final
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — from crying
  14. board — a committee
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. board — to get on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. sharp — clever

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