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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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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: face · board · game · fork · file · patient · wax · bay

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. face — to confront
  3. file — a tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wax — to grow
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — wild animals
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. board — a committee
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. face — part of the head
  18. board — to get on
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. face — to point toward
  24. file — a document

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