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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: bay · roll · pop · board · mine · march · wax · track

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. track — a path
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pop — music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. march — music
  11. board — to get on
  12. pop — soda
  13. roll — a list
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. track — a song
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. march — the month
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pop — to visit
  24. march — the month

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