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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: ruler · net · content · stock · object · mouse · hand · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stock — shares
  3. content — happy
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. net — in sport
  8. object — an aim
  9. content — the amount
  10. net — after costs
  11. object — to protest
  12. stock — goods
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. hand — help
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. object — a thing
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. content — videos and posts

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