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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: stock · racket · squash · wax · race · perch · object · rest

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stock — goods
  6. race — the arms race
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — a break
  9. object — an aim
  10. race — humankind
  11. wax — to grow
  12. object — to protest
  13. squash — the sport
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — a contest
  18. object — a thing
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stock — shares
  24. stock — a soup base

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