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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — of a king
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — the cause
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — a group
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ball — a great time
  15. face — to confront
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. court — of law
  20. bulb — for light
  21. face — part of the head
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. club — for dancing
  24. ball — a dance

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