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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 · patient · wax · fall · mate · trunk · bore · net

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. stock — shares
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bore — to drill
  6. net — in sport
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fall — the season
  12. wax — to grow
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. net — for catching
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stock — goods
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — after costs
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — to drop

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