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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 · bowl · date · tear · court · game · deal · rush

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. court — of a king
  10. game — a match
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. court — for sport
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. court — of law
  19. tear — from crying
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. game — wild animals
  24. deal — to handle

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