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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. perch — the fish
  16. mine — for digging
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — to shout
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — for sport
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — of a tree

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