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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.

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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: present · bore · stock · scale · stick · wax · court · fan

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. present — a gift
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. wax — to grow
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. present — the time now
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of a king
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. stock — shares
  15. court — for sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bore — to drill
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bore — to tire
  23. court — of law
  24. present — there

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