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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: plane · stick · pound · wind · spring · wax · mouse · stock

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wind — moving air
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. spring — the season
  11. stock — goods
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. spring — a coil
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stock — shares
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. spring — of water
  24. wind — to turn a key

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