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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: toast · club · march · face · spring · court · wax · deal

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. spring — of water
  3. march — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. spring — the season
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. court — of law
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. face — to confront
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. club — for dancing
  16. court — of a king
  17. spring — a coil
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. club — a group
  20. deal — to handle
  21. court — for sport
  22. toast — bread
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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