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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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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: land · wax · spring · staff · court · stand · fine · wind

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. court — for sport
  6. land — a country
  7. court — of a king
  8. fine — high quality
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wind — moving air
  12. land — to come down
  13. staff — employees
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spring — the season
  16. land — ground
  17. stand — to bear
  18. spring — of water
  19. court — of law
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fine — all right
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — a coil

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