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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 · chair · bowl · bass · lie · root · wax · craft

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. court — of law
  5. craft — boats
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. court — for sport
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. root — of a word
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. craft — a skill
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — of a king
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lie — to recline

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