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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: game · content · temple · track · wind · wax · arm · board

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. content — happy
  8. board — to get on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a match
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. content — the amount
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. track — a path

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