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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: shower · stock · bear · wax · straw · stick · object · sharp

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. object — to protest
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wax — to grow
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. object — an aim
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. object — a thing
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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