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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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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: spring · race · court · mouse · wax · object · bank · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — to grow
  3. object — a thing
  4. spring — the season
  5. court — for sport
  6. tear — to rip
  7. spring — of water
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. court — of law
  13. object — to protest
  14. court — of a king
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. object — an aim
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — a coil
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bank — of a river
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bank — for money

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