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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: roll · pit · hand · mate · shower · net · board · wax

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. net — in sport
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mate — a friend
  9. board — a committee
  10. roll — a list
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. roll — a cake
  15. pit — a hole
  16. net — for catching
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — after costs
  19. hand — help
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. roll — on a roll

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