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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: kick · court · wax · file · bound · nail · stand · swing

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bound — certain
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. file — a line of people
  13. swing — music
  14. kick — in football
  15. court — of law
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bound — obliged
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. file — a tool
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — for a hammer

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