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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: wax · staff · degree · bulb · trunk · fork · track · stock

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. track — a path
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. stock — shares
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stock — goods
  15. bulb — for light
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fork — in a road
  23. track — a song
  24. wax — to grow

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