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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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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — in cards
  17. court — of a king
  18. degree — from a university
  19. dip — to sink
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. degree — temperature

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