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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: dip · mouse · ground · wave · wax · game · court · band

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ground — a position
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. dip — to sink
  16. band — a ring
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — the earth
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. court — for sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — wild animals

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