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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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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: wax · court · wind · bear · bowl · content

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. court — of law
  9. content — happy
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. content — the amount
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. wind — moving air

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