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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: nail · court · wax · bay · foot · land · march · leaves

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — to come down
  3. foot — a measure
  4. court — for sport
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. land — ground
  9. march — the month
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. march — music
  13. court — of law
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. land — a country
  18. court — of a king
  19. wax — to grow
  20. march — the month
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bay — a horse colour

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