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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — of a king
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. present — a gift
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fine — all right
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. present — there
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stem — to come from
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fine — high quality
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. court — of law
  24. game — a match

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