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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: wax · pop · mine · season · pit · game · deal · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. season — of the year
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pop — soda
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. board — to get on
  15. pop — music
  16. pit — in a race
  17. deal — to handle
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. game — wild animals

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