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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: board · ruler · rash · shower · dip · court · wax · spring

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. spring — of water
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. spring — a coil
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. shower — rain
  11. court — of law
  12. board — to get on
  13. spring — the season
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rash — a series
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. court — of a king
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — a committee

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