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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. board — to get on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. board — a committee
  10. bear — the animal
  11. object — to protest
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wax — to grow
  15. object — a thing
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stock — goods
  20. rush — hurry
  21. object — an aim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bear — the animal
  24. deal — a big deal

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