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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 116 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: rush · stock · pop · wax · stem · bank · last · staff

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — shares
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. staff — employees
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stock — goods
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bank — for money
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pop — soda
  12. last — to go on
  13. bank — of a river
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. last — finally
  18. pop — music
  19. bank — for money
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wax — to grow
  23. last — final
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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