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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. root — of a plant
  6. court — of law
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wax — to grow
  13. court — for sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — a division
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. root — of a word
  24. bore — to drill

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