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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. court — of law
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. land — ground
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — goods
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. court — for sport
  15. stock — shares
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. court — of a king
  20. spell — magic
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. racket — a loud noise

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