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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: can · stem · fork · cap · stock · jam · wax · kid

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cap — of ice
  3. stem — to come from
  4. kid — to tease
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cap — a hat
  10. kid — child
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. can — to be able to
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. stock — shares
  15. can — a tin
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cap — a lid
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fork — in a road
  24. wax — to grow

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