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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: wax · stock · ground · cue · fan · foot · tube · court

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cue — a signal
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. court — for sport
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — crushed
  13. court — of a king
  14. tube — a container
  15. ground — a position
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ground — the earth
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cue — a hint
  21. court — of law
  22. wax — to grow
  23. tube — the underground
  24. foot — a measure

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