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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: mug · stock · fine · cold · staff · wax · pitcher · wake

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mug — a face
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stock — shares
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. staff — employees
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fine — all right
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. staff — a stick
  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