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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. present — the time now
  3. court — of a king
  4. present — a gift
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — a lid
  7. spring — the season
  8. mark — a grade
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. ground — a position
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. cap — of ice
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. cap — a hat
  19. wax — to grow
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — of water
  23. present — there
  24. mark — a trace

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