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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. clip — to cut
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — for paper
  12. perch — the fish
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. court — of a king
  15. stem — to come from
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wax — to grow
  19. court — of law
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. clip — a video
  24. perch — for a bird

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