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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 · rush · cap · fork · pass · clip · content · wax

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. board — a committee
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. board — to get on
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — a hat
  9. clip — a video
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cap — of ice
  15. clip — for paper
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pass — a permit
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. clip — to cut

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