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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: court · bass · bay · saw · capital · wax · coach · ground

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bass — the fish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. ground — a position
  8. capital — money
  9. ground — crushed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. capital — a city
  13. wax — to grow
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. court — of law
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — for sport

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