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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: fine · stock · bulb · wax · hand · bat · perch · snap

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stock — shares
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. snap — to click
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fine — all right
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fine — high quality

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