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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stick · march · bulb · scale · court · stand · wax · kid

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. scale — in music
  3. march — music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stand — to bear
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. court — of a king
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kid — child
  18. scale — size or range
  19. court — of law
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — the month
  24. bulb — of a plant

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