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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: stock · plane · lean · can · wax · straw · mate · spring

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. can — a tin
  3. lean — thin
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a partner
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spring — a coil
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. can — a tin
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. plane — a tool
  21. lean — to bend
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stock — goods

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