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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: foot · ground · stock · wax · pop · patient · season · scale

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pop — soda
  4. scale — in music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. ground — crushed
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. season — of the year
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pop — music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ground — the earth
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. season — in sport
  21. stock — shares
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ground — a position
  24. wax — to grow

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