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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · game · stock · bay · bat · key · trunk · toast

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. stock — goods
  2. toast — bread
  3. key — in music
  4. wax — to grow
  5. key — for a lock
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stock — shares
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. game — a match
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. key — the most important part
  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