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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. court — of law
  3. bank — for money
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. shower — to wash
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mine — for digging
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. court — of a king
  13. bank — for money
  14. shower — rain
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — clever
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — for sport
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. key — in music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. key — for a lock

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