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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 116 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: season · wound · court · lean · bulb · ball · kick · wax

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. court — for sport
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a great time
  10. season — in sport
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lean — thin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — in football
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — of the year
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. kick — with a leg

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