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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: court · net · wax · rush · pass · wind · hand · hide

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. court — for sport
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hand — help
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. hand — in cards
  12. net — after costs
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. court — of a king
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. net — in sport
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rush — hurry
  22. net — for catching
  23. court — of law
  24. rush — to hurry

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