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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: stick · present · court · band · content · bulb · wax · stand

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. band — a music group
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. band — a ring
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. content — the amount
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. content — happy
  14. present — there
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. court — of a king
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bulb — for light

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