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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 120 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: wake · kid · wave · ground · foot · mine · stock · board

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stock — shares
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. kid — child
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. board — to get on
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. stock — goods
  19. mine — for digging
  20. board — a committee
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. ground — a position

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