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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: wax · ground · coach · board · band · wound · safe · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ground — crushed
  3. land — a country
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. ground — a position
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. wound — an injury
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. board — a committee
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. band — a ring
  17. ground — the earth
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wax — to grow
  20. land — to come down
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. board — to get on

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