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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: track · spring · roll · stock · pitcher · foot · wax · fine

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fine — all right
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fine — high quality
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — a coil
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. roll — a list
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. foot — a measure
  18. spring — the season
  19. roll — a cake
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. foot — part of the body

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