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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: wax · tube · drill · tear · bass · fine · stock · track

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tube — a container
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fine — all right
  7. stock — shares
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bass — low music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tear — to rip
  16. track — a path
  17. drill — army training
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. drill — the tool
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. track — a song
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tear — from crying

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