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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 120 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: object · wax · court · racket · spring · current · sharp · cell

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spring — a coil
  3. spring — of water
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. court — for sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cell — in biology
  10. object — an aim
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. current — electric
  18. court — of a king
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. current — of water
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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