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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 120 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: sharp · court · straw · bear · wax · chest · mate · stand

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — to grow
  7. court — of law
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bear — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mate — a partner
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stand — to bear
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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