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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: court · stand · wax · spring · firm · charge · saw · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. court — of law
  5. firm — a company
  6. stand — to bear
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. file — a line of people
  10. charge — in control
  11. wax — to grow
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. spring — of water
  14. charge — a price
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. firm — decided
  18. saw — the tool
  19. charge — electricity
  20. firm — steady
  21. spring — a coil
  22. file — a document
  23. spring — the season
  24. wax — for sculpting

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