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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: root · wax · court · kid · key · swing · drill · wound

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. root — of a plant
  3. swing — music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of law
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. court — of a king
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — for sport
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. root — of a word
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — army training
  15. root — the cause
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. key — for a lock
  18. kid — to tease
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wax — to grow

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