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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 116 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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. court — of law
  3. firm — decided
  4. court — of a king
  5. wax — to grow
  6. firm — a company
  7. branch — a division
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. root — the cause
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. drill — the tool
  13. root — of a word
  14. court — for sport
  15. firm — steady
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. root — of a plant
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — electric
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. drill — army training
  24. perch — the fish

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