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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: present · hand · branch · staff · wave · stock · wax · safe

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — help
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. present — there
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. staff — employees
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. staff — a stick
  17. branch — a division
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. hand — in cards
  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