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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: wave · wax · rash · stock · chest · key · wake · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. key — in music
  6. chest — a box
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — hasty
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rash — a series
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stock — shares
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stock — goods
  24. rash — on the skin

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