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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: hand · spring · nail · court · wax · ball · stock · key

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. court — of law
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stock — shares
  8. key — in music
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — of a king
  11. key — for a lock
  12. court — for sport
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ball — a great time
  19. hand — help
  20. spring — a coil
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. nail — on a finger

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