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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 · season · current · stock · bass · toast · drill · fork

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — the fish
  5. drill — the tool
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. drill — army training
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. drill — a practice
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fork — in a road
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. current — of water
  18. season — in sport
  19. toast — bread
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. current — electric
  22. bass — low music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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