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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: wake · plane · mine · wax · spell · stock

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stock — shares
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stock — goods
  5. spell — magic
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. spell — letters
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mine — for digging
  14. plane — a tool
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wake — before a funeral

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