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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 · craft · bound · ball · snap · wax · land · spell

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. land — to come down
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wax — to grow
  5. ball — a dance
  6. game — a match
  7. bound — obliged
  8. land — ground
  9. snap — to click
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bound — certain
  13. spell — letters
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spell — a short time
  17. craft — boats
  18. spell — magic
  19. craft — a skill
  20. land — a country
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bound — tied together

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