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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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 · shower · lie · bass · ball · pitcher · file

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — goods
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wax — to grow
  9. ball — a great time
  10. file — a document
  11. bass — low music
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. lie — to recline
  23. file — a tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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