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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pit — in a race
  4. staff — employees
  5. wax — to grow
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. court — of a king
  11. can — a tin
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mine — for digging
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pit — a hole
  18. court — of law
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — a division
  23. can — to be able to
  24. temple — a place of worship

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