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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. foot — a measure
  3. wound — an injury
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — of a king
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. court — for sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. court — of law
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. track — a song
  24. wax — to grow

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