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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bay · cabinet · wax · tube · lean · court · rash · racket

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. court — of law
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. tube — a container
  10. court — for sport
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. court — of a king
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lean — to rest against

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