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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · squash · wax · spell · patient · court · fine · pitcher

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. court — of a king
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. spell — magic
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. fine — all right
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fine — high quality
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. season — in sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — for sport

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