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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: hand · stock · perch · chest · fine · wax · safe · track

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. hand — help
  3. chest — of your body
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. track — a path
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stock — goods
  16. chest — a box
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. track — a song
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chest — of your body
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stock — shares
  24. wax — to grow

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