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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · toast · stock · patient · rash · wax · key · tear

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. toast — bread
  3. key — for a lock
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. net — after costs
  9. wax — to grow
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. key — in music
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tear — to rip
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — shares
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rash — a series
  21. tear — from crying
  22. net — in sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — goods

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