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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 120 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: race · season · key · perch · cabinet · wax · stock · dip

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. race — a contest
  3. perch — the fish
  4. key — in music
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. key — the most important part
  8. race — the arms race
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. season — in sport
  12. stock — goods
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — shares
  15. wax — to grow
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. race — humankind
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. dip — to sink

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