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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.

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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: deal · chair · mine · court · club · wax · bark · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. deal — to handle
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — of law
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. spring — a coil
  13. court — for sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chair — a leader
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. club — a group
  24. bark — to shout

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