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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. court — of law
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. scale — in music
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. court — for sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — moving air
  13. scale — size or range
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. object — a thing
  16. court — of a king
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stand — to bear
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. stand — for spectators

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