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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: degree · chest · stock · dip · wave · stem · mate · wax

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chest — a box
  4. mate — a friend
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stock — shares
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chest — of your body
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mate — to breed
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stock — goods
  22. degree — temperature
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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