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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: game · club · wax · deal · hand · wake · chip · squash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. club — a group
  3. hand — help
  4. club — for dancing
  5. chip — for betting
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. game — wild animals
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wax — to grow
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wake — a trail
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chip — to eat
  22. hand — in cards
  23. game — a match
  24. club — for golf

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