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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: shower · ruler · bore · firm · pound · kid · wax · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. kid — child
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. firm — steady
  7. stock — shares
  8. bore — to tire
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. stock — goods
  12. firm — a company
  13. kid — to tease
  14. shower — rain
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. firm — decided
  24. pound — for dogs

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