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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
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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: ball · rock · mine · mug · game · land · wax · content

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mug — a cup
  4. content — happy
  5. land — a country
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. game — wild animals
  9. content — the amount
  10. mug — a face
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mug — to rob
  15. game — a match
  16. land — to come down
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rock — music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. land — ground
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mine — belonging to me

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