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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 · cell · land · fine · wax · stand · march

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. march — music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — a country
  10. fine — high quality
  11. board — a committee
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. board — to get on
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — ground
  22. fine — all right
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ruler — for measuring

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