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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · capital · wax · board · stick · net · spring · leaves

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. court — for sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. spring — of water
  9. court — of a king
  10. board — a committee
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. net — in sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. net — for catching
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — money
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — after costs
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. board — to get on
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. court — of law
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. spring — a coil

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