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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. court — for sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. press — to push
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. court — of law
  24. fork — in a road

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