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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: wax · spell · season · perch · present · court · sharp · nail

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — in sport
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. court — for sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. perch — the fish
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. present — a gift
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. court — of a king
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. sharp — clever
  17. present — there
  18. spell — letters
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. present — the time now
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. court — of law
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. spell — magic

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