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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 116 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: craft · deal · stock · wake · fan · squash · wax · season

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — a skill
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. craft — boats
  6. stock — shares
  7. season — of the year
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. squash — the sport
  12. wax — to grow
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wake — a trail
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. deal — to handle
  21. season — in sport
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stock — goods
  24. fan — to cool the air

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