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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
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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: wave · wax · last · stand · stock · content · key · shower

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. key — for a lock
  3. content — happy
  4. last — final
  5. content — the amount
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. last — to go on
  8. stand — to bear
  9. key — in music
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. shower — rain
  24. last — finally

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