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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 · present · foot · swing · patient · scale · chest · wax

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. swing — music
  4. scale — size or range
  5. present — the time now
  6. foot — a measure
  7. present — there
  8. stock — goods
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — in music
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. chest — of your body
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stock — shares
  21. wax — to grow
  22. present — a gift
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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