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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: craft · degree · staff · wax · pop · stock · tube · fall

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fall — the season
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. degree — from a university
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — goods
  10. wax — to grow
  11. degree — an amount
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pop — music
  14. staff — employees
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. fall — to drop
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pop — soda
  22. tube — a container
  23. craft — boats
  24. degree — temperature

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