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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stand — to bear
  10. face — to confront
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — the season
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. current — electric

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