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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: squash · net · march · spell · chest · board · wax · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chest — a box
  4. squash — to crush
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — magic
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. spell — a short time
  12. march — music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. wind — moving air
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. net — in sport

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