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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: land · ground · cue · pop · rush · chair · wax · bound

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bound — certain
  8. pop — music
  9. land — a country
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rush — hurry
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cue — for pool
  16. land — to come down
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. pop — soda
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chair — a leader
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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