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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: bore · band · wax · rash · squash · ground · court · stem

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — of a king
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. band — a music group
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. court — for sport
  10. ground — a position
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bore — to tire
  18. band — a ring
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stem — to come from
  24. squash — to crush

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