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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 116 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
468
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: club · chair · stand · pitcher · wax · leaves · fork · spring

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wax — to grow
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spring — the season
  12. club — for golf
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chair — a leader
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chair — to sit on

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