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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: wax · stock · charge · tear · dip · calf · ground · patient

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ground — crushed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — to grow
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. charge — electricity

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