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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chip · racket · jam · nail · shower · wax · tear

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chip — for betting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stock — goods
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wax — to grow
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — to eat
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — to rip
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stock — shares
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. racket — a loud noise

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