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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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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: bay · board · plane · snap · cold · rash · rule · wax

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wax — to grow
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. board — to get on
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rule — government
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cold — an illness
  15. rash — a series
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cold — the Cold War

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