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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: wax · mine · foot · rush · board · stand · tube · hand

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. hand — help
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. tube — a container
  8. wax — to grow
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. tube — the underground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — to get on
  23. rush — hurry
  24. foot — part of the body

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