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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: court · wax · stock · wound · stand · fan · root · club

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. root — of a plant
  3. court — of law
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — of a king
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. club — a group
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. court — for sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stock — goods
  17. wound — an injury
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stand — to bear
  24. club — for golf

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