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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.

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: spring · ball · wax · cabinet · bank · rash · stock · staff

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. staff — employees
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rash — hasty
  7. staff — employees
  8. stock — goods
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rash — a series
  13. ball — a dance
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. staff — a stick
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. wax — to grow

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