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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: arm · date · game · wax · stock · bass · chair · track

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stock — shares
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bass — low music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. track — to keep track
  16. game — a match
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. stock — goods

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