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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 116 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: stand · court · wax · capital · track · leaves · chip · rest

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. court — for sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. court — of law
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stand — to bear
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. track — a song
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. capital — a city
  20. chip — for betting
  21. court — of a king
  22. capital — money
  23. rest — a break
  24. capital — a big letter

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