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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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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: ruler · board · wave · hand · kid · wax · object · nail

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — in cards
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. object — a thing
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. hand — help
  19. board — to get on
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — to grow
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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