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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: snap · coach · court · wax · ground · deal · game · shower

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. court — of law
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. deal — to handle
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — a match
  11. shower — rain
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ground — a position
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ground — crushed
  24. game — wild animals

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