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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: land · kick · wax · pop · stem · stock · rest · rash

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pop — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rest — a break
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rash — a series
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stock — goods
  13. land — to come down
  14. stock — shares
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rest — what's left
  17. land — a country
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — ground
  23. pop — to visit
  24. kick — a thrill

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