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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: wax · deal · rock · court · wake · bulb · cold · racket

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. rock — a stone
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. court — of law
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rock — music
  16. wake — a trail
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cold — not warm
  23. court — of a king
  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