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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · lash · hand · root · capital · kid · wax · mark

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stock — goods
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kid — child
  5. root — of a plant
  6. mark — a trace
  7. root — the cause
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. root — of a word
  14. hand — help
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stock — shares
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. capital — money

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