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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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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: prune · cabinet · wax · cue · racket · fan · spring · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cue — a signal
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. prune — to trim
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — of water
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cue — for pool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. prune — to trim
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. spring — the season
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cue — a hint
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wax — to grow

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