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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: degree · leaves · court · cabinet · cell · dip · content · wax

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. court — of law
  4. wax — to grow
  5. dip — to sink
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. degree — from a university
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. court — for sport
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cell — a phone
  22. degree — temperature
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. court — of a king

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