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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: cabinet · spring · chip · pound · wax · bowl · game · sharp

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. spring — of water
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chip — for betting
  9. game — wild animals
  10. sharp — clever
  11. game — a match
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chip — to eat
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. game — a kind of play

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