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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: content · board · degree · mouse · fine · wax · court · branch

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. branch — a division
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. fine — all right
  14. court — for sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. fine — high quality
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. degree — temperature
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. degree — an amount

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