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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
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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: march · court · present · degree · trunk · club · wax · mark

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. court — for sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. present — the time now
  6. court — of law
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mark — a grade
  9. club — for dancing
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. march — music
  13. degree — an amount
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mark — a trace
  17. march — the month
  18. degree — temperature
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. degree — from a university
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. present — there
  23. club — a group
  24. court — of a king

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