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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: cue · stock · wax · jam · cell · degree · bank · perch

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cue — a signal
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bank — for money
  15. stock — shares
  16. degree — temperature
  17. stock — goods
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. degree — an amount
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cell — in a prison

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