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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: mine · rule · wax · game · roll · nail · jam · cue

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rule — a law
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. game — a match
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cue — a hint
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cue — for pool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. roll — a list
  21. rule — government
  22. cue — a signal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wax — in the ear

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