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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: cold · toast · pass · season · board · arm · ruler · wax

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a committee
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pass — a permit
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. season — in sport
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. toast — bread
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cold — not warm

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