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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: rule · patient · wax · bowl · board · plane · band · bat

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  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. plane — an aircraft
  2. band — a music group
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. board — to get on
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. board — a committee
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rule — a law
  15. plane — a tool
  16. band — a ring
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. bat — the animal
  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