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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: spring · ground · court · rest · object · trunk · rush · wax

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. court — of law
  4. rest — a break
  5. court — for sport
  6. object — an aim
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. ground — the earth
  11. spring — the season
  12. object — to protest
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ground — a position
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — of water
  17. ground — crushed
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. object — a thing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rest — what's left
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rush — a thrill

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