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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 120 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: wound · pop · object · calf · court · sharp · wax · ball

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. court — for sport
  6. pop — soda
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pop — to visit
  23. object — to protest
  24. wax — to grow

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