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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: court · mine · firm · wax · march · spring · calf · board

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. march — the month
  3. firm — a company
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — a committee
  6. spring — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — steady
  9. court — for sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. court — of a king
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. board — to get on
  15. court — of law
  16. mine — for digging
  17. march — music
  18. firm — decided
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. board — a flat piece

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