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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 120 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: ball · season · tube · fine · root · court · pit · wax

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. tube — a container
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. fine — all right
  5. ball — a dance
  6. season — in sport
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — to grow
  15. court — for sport
  16. pit — a hole
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. court — of a king
  21. season — of the year
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ball — a great time

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