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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: bay · rest · board · bound · wax · tear · capital · trunk

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. board — a committee
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. board — to get on
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — certain
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. tear — from crying
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. capital — money
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. capital — a city
  21. rest — a break
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wax — for sculpting

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