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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — for sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. game — wild animals
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. wax — to grow
  9. date — the fruit
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. game — a match
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. prune — to trim
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — of a king

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