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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: mug · stock · wax · dip · march · rush · court · straw

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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. mug — to rob
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — hurry
  6. court — for sport
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stock — shares
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — goods
  22. mug — a face
  23. court — of a king
  24. mug — a cup

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