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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: court · fine · perch · cap · calf · bass · mug · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. cap — a lid
  5. court — for sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cap — a hat
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — of a king
  14. bass — the fish
  15. court — of law
  16. bass — low music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fine — high quality
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wax — to grow
  24. fine — all right

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