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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: face · board · band · deal · fall · arm · wax · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. band — a music group
  4. board — a committee
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wax — to grow
  10. board — to get on
  11. face — to confront
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. face — to point toward
  20. band — a ring
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. deal — a big deal
  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