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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · wax · court · fan · mine · bowl · race · shower

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wax — to grow
  4. race — humankind
  5. track — to keep track
  6. race — a contest
  7. court — of a king
  8. shower — rain
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. track — a path
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. court — of law
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. track — a song
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fan — to cool the air

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