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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: fall · board · chest · lie · key · staff · wax · game

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. key — the most important part
  8. staff — employees
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — to recline
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. staff — employees
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. staff — a stick
  18. game — a match
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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