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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: staff · wax · fine · racket · kid · branch · court · rest

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fine — all right
  6. kid — child
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. kid — to tease
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — of law
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. staff — employees
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. court — of a king
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. branch — a division
  19. court — for sport
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rest — what's left
  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