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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 · snap · stock · kick · trunk · pop · race · rock

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. race — a contest
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rock — music
  8. stock — shares
  9. rock — a stone
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — humankind
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stock — goods
  14. pop — soda
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — in football
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pop — music
  24. snap — to click

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