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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — of law
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rock — music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. court — for sport
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. rock — a stone
  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