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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 116 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: nail · court · season · wax · land · kid · rest · lean

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. court — of law
  3. kid — to tease
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. season — of the year
  8. lean — thin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. land — a country
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — child
  14. land — to come down
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rest — a break
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. land — ground
  23. season — in sport
  24. lean — to bend

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