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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: stock · ground · mug · drill · swing · jam · race · wax

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. race — the arms race
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stock — goods
  5. ground — a position
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — crushed
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. drill — the tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. mug — a face
  16. swing — in golf
  17. drill — army training
  18. swing — music
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. race — humankind
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mug — to rob

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