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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: can · mug · stock · ground · cell · bass · wind · wax

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. can — a tin
  4. stock — shares
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — a position
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. stock — goods
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bass — the fish
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bass — low music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cell — a phone

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