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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — electric
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. club — for golf
  7. current — of water
  8. club — for dancing
  9. court — of law
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. club — a group
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cue — a hint
  15. current — happening now
  16. cue — for pool
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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