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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — for sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — in sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. net — for catching
  10. court — of law
  11. drill — a practice
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rush — hurry
  20. drill — the tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. drill — army training
  24. court — of a king

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