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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: patient · stock · wax · chip · game · kick · degree · stick

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stock — goods
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. game — wild animals
  6. degree — an amount
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. game — a match
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stock — shares
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. wax — to grow
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chip — to eat

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