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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. court — for sport
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bore — to tire
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. net — for catching
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. net — after costs
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bore — to drill
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. net — in sport
  24. wax — in the ear

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