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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: fork · key · wax · mug · spell · stock · bat · game

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stock — shares
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. key — for a lock
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mug — a face
  8. spell — letters
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. game — a match
  12. game — wild animals
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — a short time
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mug — a cup
  20. key — in music
  21. spell — magic
  22. mug — to rob
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stock — goods

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