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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — in sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. net — after costs
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. court — of a king
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — a tin
  14. chest — a box
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — for catching
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. can — to be able to
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of law

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