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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bear — the animal
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. court — of a king
  24. hide — animal skin

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