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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 116 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
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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: wax · mine · court · staff · drill · rock · ruler · spell

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. rock — to move gently
  2. mine — for digging
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. staff — employees
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. drill — the tool
  11. court — for sport
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — letters
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — of law
  18. spell — a short time
  19. spell — magic
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. drill — army training
  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