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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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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 · wake · club · toast · roll · stock · chair · stick

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. club — for golf
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. toast — bread
  7. stock — shares
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chair — a leader
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stock — goods
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. toast — the most admired

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