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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: content · stand · wax · kid · toast · mate · staff · stock

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mate — a partner
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. staff — employees
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. staff — employees
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. kid — child
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. content — the amount
  21. stock — shares
  22. mate — a friend
  23. content — happy
  24. mate — to breed

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