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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: mouse · rest · calf · present · wax · court · land · scale

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. scale — in music
  3. land — a country
  4. court — of a king
  5. scale — size or range
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. present — the time now
  11. rest — a break
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. present — a gift
  14. land — to come down
  15. rest — what's left
  16. wax — to grow
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. land — ground
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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