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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 · lie · stock · spring · current · bark · shower · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. current — electric
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stock — goods
  5. shower — rain
  6. spring — of water
  7. current — happening now
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. current — of water
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stock — shares
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. lie — to recline
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spring — the season

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