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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 120 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: land · pitcher · spell · board · wax · object · cabinet · mark

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. object — a thing
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mark — a grade
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spell — letters
  11. object — to protest
  12. board — a committee
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spell — magic
  21. land — a country
  22. spell — a short time
  23. board — to get on
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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