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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 116 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: season · bass · fall · wax · stick · rush · stock · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — goods
  4. fall — the season
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stock — shares
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. season — in sport
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bass — low music
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wax — to grow
  23. season — of the year
  24. wax — for sculpting

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