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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: court · suit · wax · deal · kid · wound · drill · hide

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kid — to tease
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. suit — to fit
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. kid — child
  8. suit — clothes
  9. drill — army training
  10. deal — to handle
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. suit — in cards
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. court — for sport
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wax — to grow
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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