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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 116 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: bass · spring · mark · key · pit · wax · net · stock

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. pit — in a race
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mark — a trace
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — after costs
  18. bass — low music
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stock — goods
  22. net — for catching
  23. key — in music
  24. spring — of water

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