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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: snap · bulb · wax · plane · mug · stock · field · net

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wax — to grow
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. net — for catching
  7. stock — goods
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. mug — a face
  12. field — for sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — farmland
  16. net — after costs
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — to rob
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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