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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.

Words on the sheet
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: pass · wax · stock · race · fan · stand · capital · bark

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. capital — a city
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. capital — money
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wax — to grow
  18. race — humankind
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. race — a contest
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stand — to bear

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