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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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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 · hand · mate · spell · court · pound

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — of a king
  7. mate — a partner
  8. spell — magic
  9. court — of law
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — letters
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — a short time
  18. court — for sport

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