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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: wake · tube · spring · bat · snap · mouse · stock · wax

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stock — goods
  4. tube — the underground
  5. spring — a coil
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tube — a container
  10. spring — of water
  11. snap — to click
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spring — the season
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bat — the animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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