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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 120 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: wax · root · coach · land · fan · row · pitcher · court

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. land — ground
  3. root — the cause
  4. court — of law
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — of a king
  8. root — of a plant
  9. row — a line
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. land — a country
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. land — to come down
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. root — of a word
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — for sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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