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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: content · land · vault · tube · mine · capital · board · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tube — a container
  4. land — ground
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. capital — money
  8. board — to get on
  9. mine — for digging
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. tube — the underground
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. board — a committee
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. vault — a safe
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. content — the amount
  23. capital — a city
  24. content — happy

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