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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.

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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: wound · stock · wax · rule · board · lean · last · mark

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. mark — a trace
  5. last — finally
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. board — a committee
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. mark — a grade
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — a law
  17. stock — goods
  18. last — to go on
  19. board — to get on
  20. rule — government
  21. stock — shares
  22. wax — to grow
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. last — final

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