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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: roll · pit · pop · face · season · court · wax · band

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pop — music
  3. pit — a hole
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. season — of the year
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wax — to grow
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pop — to visit
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. season — in sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. band — a music group
  16. court — of law
  17. roll — a cake
  18. band — a ring
  19. face — to confront
  20. pit — in a race
  21. roll — a list
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pop — soda

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