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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 · bulb · rest · drill · arm · wax · wind · key

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. key — in music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. court — for sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bulb — for light
  24. arm — a part of something

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