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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: trunk · pop · pitcher · stick · wax · cell · date · stock

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stock — goods
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. date — the fruit
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pop — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pop — soda
  20. stock — shares
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cell — in biology

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