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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.

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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: court · craft · current · rest · leaves · bat · wax · face

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — to grow
  3. craft — a skill
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. court — for sport
  7. current — happening now
  8. bat — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rest — a break
  15. current — of water
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rest — what's left
  20. current — electric
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. craft — boats

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