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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: pound · wax · lie · shower · tear · mark · cue · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a trace
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stock — goods
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. tear — to rip
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lie — an untruth

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