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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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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: racket · fork · wax · cap · wave · mark · cold · stock

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stock — shares
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. mark — a trace
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stock — goods
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mark — a grade
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. cold — not warm

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