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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.

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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: wake · cold · court · pop · wax · fan · mug · rock

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pop — soda
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. court — of a king
  11. rock — music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rock — to move gently
  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