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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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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: wind · firm · deal · season · chip · current · wax · stock

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stock — goods
  3. current — electric
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wax — to grow
  6. firm — steady
  7. wind — moving air
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stock — shares
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. deal — to handle
  14. current — of water
  15. season — in sport
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. firm — a company
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. current — happening now
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. firm — decided

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