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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.

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: rule · wax · ball · cold · stand · trunk · court · wound

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stand — to bear
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rule — government
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. court — of law
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. court — of a king
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. rule — a law

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