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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 120 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: degree · perch · court · band · wax · stand · bass · fan

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. band — a music group
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. court — for sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bass — low music
  12. stand — to bear
  13. degree — temperature
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. perch — the fish
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. court — of a king
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. court — of law
  24. degree — an amount

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