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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 120 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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. lean — to bend
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lean — thin
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stock — shares
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wax — to grow
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tube — a container
  21. rest — a break
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fall — the season

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