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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 120 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: wax · straw · court · coach · bowl · object · net · mark

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wax — to grow
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — after costs
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. court — for sport
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. object — a thing
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. object — an aim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. net — for catching
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. court — of a king
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. court — of law
  23. object — to protest
  24. net — in sport

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