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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 · mark · bear · patient · bulb · stock · toast · cold

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mark — a grade
  11. stock — goods
  12. wax — to grow
  13. toast — bread
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cold — an illness
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bulb — for light
  24. patient — a sick person

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