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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · wax · object · track · chair · stand · mine · spell

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. chair — a leader
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — to protest
  9. stand — to bear
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. object — an aim
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. track — a path
  23. game — wild animals
  24. spell — letters

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