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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · bore · stock · staff · pit · wax · mine · toast

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. staff — employees
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. toast — bread
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — to tire
  13. staff — a stick
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — employees
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stock — shares
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stock — goods
  24. bore — to drill

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