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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: wax · court · firm · mark · temple · hand · pitcher · scale

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — for sport
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mark — a trace
  14. firm — a company
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — to grow
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. scale — size or range

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