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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: bound · stock · mark · season · race · game · wax · rash

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. season — in sport
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mark — a trace
  6. stock — goods
  7. rash — a series
  8. wax — to grow
  9. game — a match
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — obliged
  12. season — of the year
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. race — a contest
  15. stock — shares
  16. bound — certain
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. game — wild animals
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. rash — hasty

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