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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 120 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: content · kid · ruler · wax · wound · wave · court · game

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of a king
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kid — child
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. court — for sport
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. court — of law
  17. content — happy
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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