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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. ground — a position
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. ground — crushed
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stock — goods
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. content — happy
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. stock — shares
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. content — the amount
  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