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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: lean · wound · season · wax · stand · board · sharp · spell

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. lean — thin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wound — an injury
  12. lean — to bend
  13. board — to get on
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. season — in sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — letters
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stand — to bear
  24. spell — a short time

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