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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: board · cabinet · wax · lie · band · chair · game · stock

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. band — a ring
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stock — shares
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stock — goods
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. chair — a leader
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. board — a committee
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. band — a music group
  23. board — to get on
  24. lie — an untruth

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