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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mouse · cue · bank · pit · season · wax · court · file

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bank — for money
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. court — of law
  12. bank — for money
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pit — a hole
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of a king
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cue — a signal

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