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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: wax · wake · stock · spring · fine · bound · mark · spell

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fine — all right
  8. spring — the season
  9. stock — goods
  10. spell — magic
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stock — shares
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spell — letters
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bound — certain

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