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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. court — of law
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wax — to grow
  5. court — of a king
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rash — a series
  8. date — the fruit
  9. ground — a position
  10. field — for sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — a subject
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — crushed
  19. perch — the fish
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rash — on the skin

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