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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: firm · land · jam · game · dip · wax · mate · bowl

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. land — a country
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. firm — a company
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. game — wild animals
  7. land — ground
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. land — to come down
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. firm — decided
  12. game — a match
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mate — a partner
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wax — to grow
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. firm — steady
  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