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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: arm · roll · date · straw · bowl · wax · mate · court

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mate — to breed
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mate — a friend
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. court — of law
  11. court — of a king
  12. mate — a partner
  13. roll — a list
  14. wax — to grow
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. roll — a cake
  20. court — for sport
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. arm — part of the body

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