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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: board · wave · game · land · coach · last · wax · stock

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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. land — ground
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — to go on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. last — final
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. land — a country
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — to come down
  17. stock — shares
  18. board — to get on
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. last — finally
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — a match
  24. board — a flat piece

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