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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 120 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 · court · stock · pop · club · bear · wave · net

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stock — goods
  3. court — of a king
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. club — for golf
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. club — for dancing
  15. court — of law
  16. stock — shares
  17. club — a group
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. court — for sport
  22. pop — soda
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pop — to visit

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