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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bowl · game · spring · row · bay · plane · wax

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. spring — a coil
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. board — a committee
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. game — a match
  22. row — a line
  23. game — wild animals
  24. row — to paddle

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