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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wave · perch · cell · straw · sharp · stock · wax · fine

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fine — high quality
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stock — shares
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — clever
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cell — a phone
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cell — in biology
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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