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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 · stand · hide · bat · wave · bark · stock · sharp

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stock — shares
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stock — goods
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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