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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: court · spring · wound · wax · cue · foot · net · rock

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — for pool
  3. court — of a king
  4. foot — a measure
  5. spring — a coil
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. spring — of water
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. net — after costs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. court — of law
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rock — a stone
  23. net — in sport
  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