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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lie — to recline
  5. object — an aim
  6. mug — a face
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. object — a thing
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. court — of a king
  13. object — to protest
  14. mug — a cup
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. court — of law
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a dance
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wound — an injury

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