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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: stock · wax · hand · stand · present · mark

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. present — a gift
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stock — shares
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. hand — help
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. present — there
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. present — the time now

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