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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.

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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: cell · field · coach · ground · wax · ball · court · hide

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ground — a position
  5. court — for sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — the earth
  8. field — a subject
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. field — farmland
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — of a king
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ball — a great time
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. field — for sport
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. court — of law
  23. wax — to grow
  24. hide — to keep secret

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