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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 120 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
468
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: court · club · wax · kid · object · band · lean · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — a group
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. club — for golf
  6. lean — to bend
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. kid — to tease
  9. object — a thing
  10. band — a music group
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — child
  14. wax — to grow
  15. season — in sport
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. object — an aim
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. band — a ring
  21. court — of law
  22. object — to protest
  23. club — for dancing
  24. lean — thin

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