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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: court · lie · perch · march · squash · bay · wax · calf

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lie — to recline
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. perch — the fish
  10. march — the month
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. squash — to crush
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. squash — the sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. march — music
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. court — of law
  24. perch — for a bird

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