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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.

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: stock · bark · wax · fan · club · pitcher · leaves · nail

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. club — a group
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bark — to shout
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stock — goods
  19. wax — to grow
  20. club — for golf
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. nail — for a hammer

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