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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: bank · craft · mate · mark · court · pitcher · wax · kid

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mate — a partner
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. court — of a king
  6. bank — for money
  7. court — for sport
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — for money
  11. craft — boats
  12. bank — of a river
  13. mark — a grade
  14. kid — child
  15. mate — to breed
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. court — of law
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. craft — a skill
  24. mark — to pay attention

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