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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 120 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: game · wax · current · bore · court · prune · object · season

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. object — to protest
  5. game — wild animals
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. bore — to tire
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — to grow
  12. current — happening now
  13. court — of a king
  14. game — a match
  15. season — in sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. season — of the year
  20. object — a thing
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — to drill
  24. object — an aim

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