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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 116 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stock — shares
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spring — of water
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pound — a weight
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stock — goods
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. court — for sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. court — of a king

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