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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: race · rash · scale · chest · dip · wax · stock · mouse

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — a series
  4. race — a contest
  5. stock — shares
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. stock — goods
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. race — humankind
  12. chest — a box
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. dip — to sink
  20. scale — in music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. scale — for weighing
  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