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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.

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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: chair · court · wax · chest · pass · stand · trunk · perch

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pass — a permit
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chest — a box
  7. court — of a king
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stand — to bear
  15. court — of law
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wax — to grow
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. perch — the fish
  24. chair — a professorship

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