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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: rest · stock · patient · wax · squash · ground · spell · object

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. spell — magic
  3. ground — a position
  4. object — to protest
  5. stock — goods
  6. object — an aim
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stock — shares
  9. wax — to grow
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spell — a short time
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spell — letters
  18. rest — what's left
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rest — a break
  21. object — a thing
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rest — what's left

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