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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wax — to grow
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wind — moving air
  8. squash — to crush
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. court — for sport
  13. pound — a weight
  14. court — of law
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pound — to hit hard

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