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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: pitch · spring · stock · mouse · foot · fine · wax · cabinet

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spring — a coil
  18. foot — a measure
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. fine — a penalty

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