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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 116 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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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 · key · wind · face · wound · rule · wax · pass

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rule — government
  3. key — in music
  4. rule — a law
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — to grow
  13. key — for a lock
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. key — the most important part
  17. face — to confront
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. board — a committee
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pass — a permit
  22. board — to get on
  23. wound — an injury
  24. face — to point toward

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