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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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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: content · club · wave · march · present · wax · court · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. present — the time now
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. court — for sport
  8. club — for golf
  9. present — there
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. deal — to handle
  12. court — of a king
  13. march — the month
  14. club — a group
  15. content — happy
  16. club — for dancing
  17. court — of law
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. march — music
  22. content — the amount
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. present — a gift

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