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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: wax · band · content · ruler · snap · track · game · face

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wax — to grow
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. track — a song
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. content — happy
  10. track — to keep track
  11. game — a match
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. game — wild animals
  16. track — a path
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to click
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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