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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 · scale · net · mug · key · court

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — for sport
  4. scale — size or range
  5. court — of law
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wax — to grow
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. key — in music
  14. court — of a king
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. key — the most important part
  17. net — for catching
  18. scale — in music

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