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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: key · wax · arm · stock · kid · current · fan · staff

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. staff — a stick
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. key — the most important part
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kid — child
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. staff — employees
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. kid — to tease
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. current — happening now
  19. wax — to grow
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stock — shares
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. staff — employees

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