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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: wax · rule · chair · stock · spring · staff · net · bank

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stock — goods
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bank — of a river
  5. net — in sport
  6. bank — for money
  7. rule — a law
  8. staff — employees
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stock — shares
  11. net — for catching
  12. staff — a stick
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bank — for money
  16. wax — to grow
  17. staff — employees
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. net — after costs
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. spring — the season
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rule — government
  24. spring — of water

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