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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: scale · wound · stand · court · field · spell · cabinet · wax

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stand — to bear
  4. court — of law
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. scale — in music
  13. court — of a king
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — for sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — letters

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