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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · jam · rash · straw · prune · board · wax · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rest — a break
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. rash — a series
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. prune — to trim
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. board — a committee
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. board — to get on
  24. game — a match

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