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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: game · track · stock · wax · mouse · hand · roll · squash

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. track — a path
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. roll — a list
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stock — goods
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. roll — a cake
  13. squash — to crush
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. game — a match
  16. hand — in cards
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hand — help
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stock — shares
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. track — a song
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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