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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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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: stock · perch · cue · spell · wind · stick · file · wax

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spell — magic
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cue — a hint
  5. file — a document
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a tool
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cue — a signal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stock — goods
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. file — a line of people
  23. spell — letters
  24. stock — shares

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