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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 120 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: hand · rest · suit · bank · stock · row · squash · wax

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hand — help
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. suit — in cards
  9. rest — what's left
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bank — for money
  13. row — a line
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — a break
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stock — goods
  20. bank — of a river
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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