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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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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bank — of a river
  3. stock — goods
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stock — shares
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — the amount
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — a position
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ground — crushed
  18. can — to be able to
  19. content — happy
  20. bank — for money
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bank — for money
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ground — the earth

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