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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · leaves · wax · lie · chest · shower · cue · kid

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stock — goods
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. kid — to tease
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. kid — child
  11. cue — a signal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cue — for pool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — to recline
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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