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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 120 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: board · pound · game · wax · lash · mate · clip · foot

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. foot — a measure
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mate — a friend
  7. clip — for paper
  8. board — a committee
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — to get on
  16. game — a match
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. clip — a video
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lash — an eyelash

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