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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: sharp · stock · spring · scale · wax · leaves · bulb · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stock — shares
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spring — of water
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — goods
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wax — to grow
  19. cue — for pool
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. spring — the season

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