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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: court · toast · stem · bound · land · scale · wave · shower

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. court — of law
  3. land — a country
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bound — certain
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. court — for sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. toast — bread
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. court — of a king

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