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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 120 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: mug · stock · mine · lean · rush · wax · spring · pitch

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stock — goods
  3. lean — to bend
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. spring — the season
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mug — a face
  18. pitch — completely
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stock — shares
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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