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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 120 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: chip · stock · row · suit · wake · pound · perch · wax

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. row — a line
  8. stock — goods
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. suit — clothes
  14. perch — the fish
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. stock — shares
  19. suit — to fit
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wax — to grow
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chip — to eat
  24. pound — a weight

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