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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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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: pound · court · row · chair · wax · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. row — a line
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pound — a weight
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wax — to grow
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. court — of law
  18. pound — for dogs

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