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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wound — an injury
  3. court — of law
  4. bore — to drill
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bear — the animal
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. root — the cause
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wax — to grow
  21. court — for sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wax — for sculpting

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