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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spring — a coil
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. last — finally
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. last — to go on
  12. tear — to rip
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. last — final
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. court — of law
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wax — to grow

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