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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
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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: row · stock · field · wind · wax · tube · ball · press

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. field — a subject
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. field — for sport
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. press — a publisher
  8. field — farmland
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tube — a container
  12. stock — shares
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. press — to push
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. row — a line
  24. stock — goods

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