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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: lean · wax · trunk · deal · lie · stock · shower · straw

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stock — shares
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — thin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. shower — to wash
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. shower — rain
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stock — goods
  19. lie — to recline
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. trunk — of a tree

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