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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: stock · date · wax · snap · branch · net · patient · squash

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — for catching
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. branch — a division
  5. snap — to click
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. squash — the sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. net — after costs
  15. squash — to crush
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stock — shares
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. net — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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