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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: mine · content · board · ground · perch · wax · hand · bank

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. content — the amount
  3. board — a committee
  4. bank — for money
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. board — to get on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bank — of a river
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ground — the earth
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. ground — a position
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wax — to grow
  22. content — happy
  23. bank — for money
  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