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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: bore · court · object · pit · wax · present · stand · chest

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. pit — a hole
  3. object — a thing
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. present — there
  7. chest — of your body
  8. court — for sport
  9. object — an aim
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of law
  15. bore — to drill
  16. present — the time now
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bore — to tire
  19. present — a gift
  20. object — to protest
  21. stand — to bear
  22. chest — a box
  23. court — of a king
  24. wax — to grow

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