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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: date · rock · mouse · bat · bark · stock · dip · wax

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rock — music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rock — a stone
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stock — goods
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stock — shares
  24. wax — in the ear

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