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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mate — to breed
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. court — of a king
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. club — for dancing
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. club — a group
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — for sport
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mate — a friend
  20. club — for golf
  21. mate — a partner
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bass — low music
  24. branch — a division

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