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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: wound · wax · rest · foot · hand · season · cabinet · board

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — to get on
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. season — of the year
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. season — in sport
  13. foot — a measure
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — a committee
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — help
  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