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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: lean · rash · pop · board · wax · bear · mark · land

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pop — music
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. land — ground
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rash — a series
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wax — to grow
  22. land — a country
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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