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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — of a king
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wax — to grow
  6. court — of law
  7. march — the month
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. court — for sport
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. march — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. prune — to trim

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