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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: bore · wax · spell · hand · pound · bulb · roll · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spell — a short time
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. hand — in cards
  7. spell — magic
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — letters
  17. pound — a weight
  18. stock — shares
  19. hand — help
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. roll — a list
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stock — goods

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