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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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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: court · wind · key · temple · craft · club · wax · racket

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — of law
  4. club — a group
  5. court — of a king
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. court — for sport
  9. key — the most important part
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wind — moving air
  14. craft — a skill
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. craft — boats
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. key — in music
  21. club — for golf
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. temple — a place of worship

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