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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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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 · bay · rule · shower · track · wax · bulb · wind

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wind — moving air
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — of a king
  7. wax — to grow
  8. court — for sport
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. court — of law
  17. bulb — for light
  18. track — a song
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. rule — government
  22. shower — rain
  23. rule — a law
  24. track — a path

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