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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.

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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: rash · stock · wax · wake · pit · key · prune · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stock — goods
  5. net — for catching
  6. wake — a trail
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. net — after costs
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stock — shares
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rash — a series
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pit — a hole
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. prune — the fruit

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