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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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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: bulb · object · wax · court · saw · coach · racket · sharp

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. object — to protest
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. court — of a king
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. court — of law
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. object — an aim
  16. sharp — clever
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. object — a thing
  23. bulb — for light
  24. saw — the tool

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