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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: rule · kick · net · wax · hand · dip · drill · stock

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. drill — army training
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rule — government
  5. stock — goods
  6. net — in sport
  7. drill — the tool
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rule — a law
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stock — shares
  14. net — after costs
  15. wax — to grow
  16. net — for catching
  17. hand — help
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. drill — a practice
  21. kick — in football
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. dip — to sink

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