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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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468
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: root · nail · chest · mouse · ground · wind · stock · wax

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chest — a box
  4. root — the cause
  5. ground — a position
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ground — the earth
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. stock — goods
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stock — shares
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chest — of your body

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