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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rush · nail · kick · court · wax · rest · degree · plane

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rest — a break
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kick — in football
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. court — of law
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. court — for sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. rest — what's left
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rest — what's left

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