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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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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: bay · cap · fork · wax · mine · fall · board · rock

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rock — music
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. board — to get on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fall — the season
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. board — a committee
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fall — to drop

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