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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · ball · mouse · spring · pit · wax · mark · kid

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. spring — the season
  9. last — to go on
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pit — in a race
  13. ball — a great time
  14. kid — child
  15. mark — a trace
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pit — a hole
  18. kid — to tease
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spring — of water
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wax — for sculpting

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