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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 120 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 · cabinet · trunk · kid · present · stock · pitcher · content

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stock — goods
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. present — there
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. content — happy
  8. kid — to tease
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — to grow
  15. kid — child
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. present — a gift
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. present — the time now
  24. content — the amount

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