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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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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: wave · press · lash · cell · stock · rock · perch · wax

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stock — shares
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stock — goods
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. press — to push
  9. rock — music
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. cell — in biology
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wax — to grow
  24. press — a publisher

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