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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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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: bear · bass · bound · stock · rule · last · snap · wax

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. last — to go on
  4. bound — tied together
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rule — a law
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. last — finally
  11. bass — low music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. last — final
  14. wax — to grow
  15. snap — to click
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rule — government
  19. bound — certain
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bear — the animal

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