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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: wax · mug · straw · nail · race · bound · season · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stock — goods
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bound — obliged
  14. season — of the year
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. season — in sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. race — a contest
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — humankind
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wax — in the ear

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