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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: wax · stock · cabinet · field · bank · lean

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bank — for money
  3. stock — goods
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stock — shares
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — farmland
  18. wax — in the ear

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