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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.

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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 · ruler · wax · field · scale · stock · pop · safe

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. court — for sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — in music
  7. field — farmland
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. field — a subject
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. court — of a king
  15. stock — shares
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pop — soda
  18. court — of law
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. field — for sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ruler — for measuring

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