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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 · court · lie · hand · jam · rock · object · land

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rock — a stone
  6. land — to come down
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. land — ground
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. object — an aim
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. land — a country
  23. lie — an untruth
  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