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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 · net · stock · scale · current · pitcher · hand · patient

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hand — help
  3. wax — to grow
  4. net — after costs
  5. scale — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. current — happening now
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — electric
  10. stock — shares
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. hand — in cards
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. current — of water
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — for catching
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — size or range
  24. stock — a soup base

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