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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: wax · season · current · stock · bass · toast

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — in sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. current — electric
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stock — shares
  17. toast — bread
  18. stock — goods

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