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

Word bank: kid · wax · stem · bowl · file · suit · bear · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. suit — clothes
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. board — to get on
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bear — the animal
  19. suit — in cards
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bear — to put up with

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