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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.

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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. court — for sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. tube — the underground
  7. court — of a king
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. can — to be able to
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. tube — a container
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stem — to come from
  24. branch — a division

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