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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.

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: shower · bay · court · mine · wax · rock · racket · object

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. object — to protest
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. court — of law
  9. rock — music
  10. object — an aim
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wax — to grow
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mine — for digging
  21. court — for sport
  22. object — a thing
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bay — a horse colour

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