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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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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 · wax · race · pound · current · wound · fan · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. current — happening now
  3. board — a committee
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — electric
  8. race — a contest
  9. current — of water
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — a weight
  17. board — to get on
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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