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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.

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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 · mouse · lie · mark · prune · bat · cold · stock

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stock — goods
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lie — to recline
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. cold — an illness
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mark — a grade
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — for baseball

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