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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: wax · coach · stock · chest · tear · season · club · stick

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stock — shares
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. chest — a box
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — in sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stock — goods
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. season — of the year
  24. club — for golf

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