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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — of a king
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. current — electric
  8. season — in sport
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. prune — to trim
  11. suit — in cards
  12. court — for sport
  13. prune — to trim
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. current — happening now
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. current — of water
  24. court — of law

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