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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.

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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: safe · bay · bass · key · wax · ground · pitcher · court

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. court — of a king
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. key — in music
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ground — a position
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. court — of law
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. bass — the fish
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — low music
  16. ground — crushed
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. key — for a lock
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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