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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: bound · hide · cabinet · stock · wax · key · spring · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stock — goods
  4. spring — of water
  5. stock — shares
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wax — to grow
  9. key — in music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bound — certain
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. key — the most important part
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. spring — the season
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. spring — a coil
  24. hide — animal skin

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