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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: net · board · vault · leaves · wax · rush · temple · march

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. march — the month
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. march — music
  5. net — in sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. vault — a safe
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. wax — to grow
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. net — after costs
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. net — for catching
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. board — a committee

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