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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: bulb · last · wax · ruler · court · mouse · cell · hand

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. cell — in biology
  5. last — finally
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wax — to grow
  8. last — to go on
  9. hand — help
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. court — of law
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cell — a phone

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