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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: sharp · stock · rash · cap · fan · wax · stick · band

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. stock — shares
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rash — hasty
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — a series
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. band — a music group
  21. stock — goods
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stock — a soup base

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