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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: tube · swing · hide · board · wax · kid · date · staff

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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. date — on the calendar
  4. staff — employees
  5. swing — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tube — a container
  9. board — to get on
  10. tube — the underground
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wax — to grow
  13. staff — a stick
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — child
  17. board — a committee
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. date — the fruit
  24. hide — to keep secret

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