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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: season · cue · cold · swing · squash · court · bulb · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. swing — in golf
  4. squash — to crush
  5. swing — to play on
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — for pool
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cold — an illness
  14. swing — music
  15. court — of a king
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. court — of law
  24. season — in 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