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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 116 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. net — in sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. object — to protest
  5. court — of law
  6. prune — to trim
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. net — after costs
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — for catching
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. court — of a king
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wax — to grow
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. perch — the fish
  24. object — an aim

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