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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: craft · bore · jam · court · net · sharp · wax · perch

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. court — for sport
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bore — to tire
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. sharp — clever
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. perch — the fish
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. court — of a king
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. net — after costs
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bore — to drill
  22. craft — boats
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — to grow

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