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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: wax · rush · cue · bear · arm · bat · tube · stock

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stock — goods
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cue — a signal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. arm — a part of something

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