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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: wax · chair · bass · can · stock · row · court · fan

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — the fish
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. chair — a leader
  6. court — of a king
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. can — a tin
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. can — a tin
  20. stock — shares
  21. court — of law
  22. bass — low music
  23. row — a line
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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