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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: court · wax · row · calf · charge · content · bank · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. charge — electricity
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. row — a line
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. court — of law
  9. net — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of a king
  12. charge — a price
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. row — to paddle
  15. court — for sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bank — of a river
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. net — for catching
  22. bank — for money
  23. charge — in control
  24. content — happy

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