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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
468
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 · deal · wax · plane · mark · file · leaves · pit

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a committee
  6. pit — a hole
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pit — in a race
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wax — to grow
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. file — a document
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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