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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.

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 · season · pound · wax · present · ball · object · arm

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. object — an aim
  3. wax — to grow
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pound — a weight
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. present — there
  12. stock — shares
  13. present — a gift
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. object — a thing
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. present — the time now
  22. season — in sport
  23. object — to protest
  24. ball — a dance

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