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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: bowl · land · spell · bound · cabinet · wax · court · band

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. court — for sport
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. land — ground
  8. spell — magic
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. court — of a king
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. land — a country
  14. court — of law
  15. spell — letters
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bound — tied together
  19. band — a music group
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. land — to come down
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cabinet — ministers

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