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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: date · fall · wave · wake · board · land · tube · charge

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. board — to get on
  5. charge — electricity
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. land — to come down
  9. tube — the underground
  10. charge — a price
  11. land — a country
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — a container
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fall — the season
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. charge — in control
  24. land — ground

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