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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: content · court · wax · stand · mine · chip · bark · bulb

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. court — for sport
  4. content — happy
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. bulb — for light
  8. court — of a king
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stand — to bear
  21. court — of law
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chip — in a computer

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