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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: fan · game · wax · mark · board · season · bowl · rock

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. season — in sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. mark — a grade
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. game — a match
  16. season — of the year
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mark — a trace
  21. board — to get on
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bowl — a football 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