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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cue · land · bay · bat · wax · rock · court · leaves

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. court — of law
  3. land — a country
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rock — music
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. court — for sport
  12. rock — a stone
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. court — of a king
  16. cue — a hint
  17. land — to come down
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. land — ground
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cue — for pool

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