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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stick · scale · toast · spell · field · wax · stock · rash

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. spell — letters
  4. toast — bread
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stock — shares
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. field — farmland
  15. scale — size or range
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. scale — in music
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — for sport
  23. stock — goods
  24. spell — magic

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