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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mug — to rob
  3. court — of law
  4. plane — a tool
  5. court — of a king
  6. wax — to grow
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bound — certain
  10. capital — money
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mug — a cup
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mug — a face
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a city
  24. hand — help

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