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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. branch — a division
  3. court — of a king
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. court — for sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. suit — in cards
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. suit — to fit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. court — of law
  21. rush — hurry
  22. suit — clothes
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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