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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. firm — a company
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. last — final
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. drill — the tool
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. firm — steady
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — to grow
  19. court — of law
  20. cue — a signal
  21. last — finally
  22. firm — decided
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. last — to go on

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