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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wax — to grow
  3. fall — the season
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. charge — a price
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. court — for sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. court — of a king
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. charge — in control
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. season — of the year
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. charge — electricity

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