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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: tube · trunk · stock · content · wax · scale · bulb · patient

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. scale — in music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wax — to grow
  9. stock — shares
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bulb — for light
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. content — happy
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stock — goods
  21. scale — size or range
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bulb — of a plant

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