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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 · foot · wax · tube · board · straw · ground · dip

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. board — a committee
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. ground — a position
  8. board — to get on
  9. ground — the earth
  10. court — of law
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. tube — a container
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — to grow
  17. foot — a measure
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. tube — the underground
  21. dip — to sink
  22. ground — crushed
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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