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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. mark — a trace
  3. court — of a king
  4. court — for sport
  5. land — ground
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. land — to come down
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — clever
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. land — a country
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. sharp — exactly
  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