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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 · can · wax · bowl · file · pass · stock · last

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. last — to go on
  6. file — a document
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. snap — to click
  10. stock — shares
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stock — goods
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. file — a tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. file — a line of people

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