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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: stock · wax · clip · tube · mug · track · rash · cap

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stock — shares
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — to rob
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mug — a face
  16. cap — of ice
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. wax — to grow
  20. track — a path
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cap — a hat
  24. track — a song

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