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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: pop · mine · coach · wake · mouse · degree · wax · content

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pop — music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. content — the amount
  6. degree — an amount
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pop — soda
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pop — to visit
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. degree — from a university
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — an explosive

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