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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 116 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: fall · wax · bark · stock · cabinet · bulb · key · cap

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — for light
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — the season
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cabinet — ministers

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