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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 · band · wax · lie · chest · track · file · wound

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lie — to recline
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wax — to grow
  14. band — a music group
  15. board — a committee
  16. file — a document
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. track — a path
  19. chest — of your body
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. track — a song
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. band — a ring

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