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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 116 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: cabinet · straw · can · bark · wax · march · stock · pound

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — shares
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stock — goods
  13. bark — to shout
  14. can — a tin
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. can — to be able to
  19. march — the month
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. march — music

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