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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: fan · bowl · mug · kid · pitch · stock · wax · firm

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pitch — completely
  7. firm — a company
  8. stock — shares
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. firm — decided
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. kid — child
  13. mug — a face
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mug — to rob
  22. firm — steady
  23. bowl — to roll
  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