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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: snap · wax · stock · march · bat · coach · suit · patient

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stock — shares
  3. bat — the animal
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. suit — in cards
  6. march — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. suit — clothes
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. march — the month
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. snap — to click
  18. suit — to fit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. wax — for sculpting

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