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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · pitcher · season · wound · fine · court · mate · wax

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of law
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mate — a partner
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — of the year
  14. mug — a face
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. court — for sport
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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