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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: stem · jam · stock · mug · spell · pitcher · wax · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mug — a face
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spell — letters
  13. stock — shares
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stock — goods

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