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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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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: kick · wave · root · cell · bore · wax · board · chest

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. root — of a word
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. board — a committee
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. kick — in football
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cell — a phone
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. root — the cause
  24. kick — with a leg

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