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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: root · jam · bound · leaves · court · wax · current · scale

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. root — of a word
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. current — happening now
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. bound — obliged
  12. court — for sport
  13. root — of a plant
  14. wax — to grow
  15. root — the cause
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. scale — size or range
  19. current — electric
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bound — certain
  22. current — of water
  23. scale — in music
  24. bound — tied together

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