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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: fan · wax · content · season · rest · stock · board · present

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. stock — shares
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. board — a committee
  6. content — the amount
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. season — of the year
  9. rest — what's left
  10. present — a gift
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — a break
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. content — happy
  16. stock — goods
  17. present — there
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. present — the time now
  24. board — to get on

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