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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
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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: leaves · cabinet · stand · court · pitcher · wax · fork · land

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. land — a country
  6. wax — to grow
  7. court — of law
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. court — for sport
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. court — of a king
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. land — ground
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. land — to come down
  24. stand — to bear

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