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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: drill · bay · trunk · net · wax · snap · rest · stock

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. wax — to grow
  4. snap — to click
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. drill — army training
  7. stock — goods
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. net — after costs
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — shares
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rest — what's left
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. net — in sport
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — a practice
  24. trunk — of a tree

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