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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: spell · pop · stock · chip · wax · bat · toast · leaves

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. spell — letters
  11. stock — shares
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stock — goods
  18. spell — a short time
  19. toast — bread
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chip — to eat

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