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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. court — for sport
  3. track — to keep track
  4. current — of water
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. track — a path
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. track — a song
  9. current — happening now
  10. court — of a king
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rest — a break
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — help
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. current — electric
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. court — of law
  24. stem — to come from

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