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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stock · roll · fine · dip · lie · hand · wax · field

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stock — goods
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hand — help
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. field — farmland
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fine — high quality
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. lie — to recline
  22. roll — a list
  23. stock — shares
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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