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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: wax · band · court · spell · bay · pass · fan · fork

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spell — letters
  4. wax — to grow
  5. court — for sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. band — a ring
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pass — a permit
  12. court — of law
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. band — a music group
  21. spell — magic
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. court — of a king

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