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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
468
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: chair · wax · tube · mug · ball · court · cold · bank

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ball — a great time
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mug — to rob
  11. court — of a king
  12. mug — a face
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bank — for money
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bank — for money
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mug — a cup
  23. cold — not warm
  24. tube — a container

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