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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: rest · wax · net · current · stock · bulb · track · racket

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — for catching
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. track — a path
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rest — a break
  17. net — after costs
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. track — a song
  20. current — of water
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bulb — for light

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