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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — of law
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of a king
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ground — crushed

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