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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: season · mate · court · ground · mug · can · wax · pitcher

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wax — to grow
  3. can — a tin
  4. mug — to rob
  5. court — of a king
  6. season — of the year
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — in sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. can — a tin
  17. mug — a face
  18. court — for sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mate — a friend
  22. court — of law
  23. ground — a position
  24. wax — in the ear

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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