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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · content · wax · patient · court · land · temple · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. land — a country
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. content — happy
  5. land — to come down
  6. wax — to grow
  7. court — of law
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. court — of a king
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — for sport
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. land — ground
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. content — the amount
  24. perch — the fish

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