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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 116 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: wax · rule · cell · board · game · row · cap · last

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. game — a match
  7. last — to go on
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. cap — a hat
  10. row — to paddle
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. board — a committee
  21. row — a line
  22. last — finally
  23. board — to get on
  24. last — final

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