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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 · wax · pop · field · object · squash · lean · game

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. board — to get on
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. squash — the sport
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. squash — to crush
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lean — to bend
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. field — a subject
  19. lean — thin
  20. field — farmland
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. field — for sport
  24. object — a thing

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