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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — goods
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — shares
  10. pop — to visit
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pop — music
  13. ball — a great time
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pop — soda

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