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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · spell · squash · wax · ground · rock · chip · board

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rock — music
  4. spell — a short time
  5. squash — the sport
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spell — magic
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ground — a position
  20. squash — to crush
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stock — goods
  24. ground — crushed

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