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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · drill · present · wax · wake · roll · perch · court

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. roll — a cake
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of a king
  6. perch — the fish
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pound — a weight
  17. present — a gift
  18. roll — a list
  19. present — there
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pound — for dogs

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