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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: wound · dip · stock · bulb · cap · wax · branch · chest

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bulb — for light
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bulb — for light
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chest — of your body
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chest — a box
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wound — an injury
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wax — to grow

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