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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: mug · wave · wax · straw · fork · net · stock · saw

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mug — a cup
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. saw — the tool
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wax — to grow
  16. stock — shares
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stock — goods
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mug — a face
  24. net — for catching

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