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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. spring — a coil
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rest — a break
  5. stock — goods
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. kid — child
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. spring — of water
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. board — to get on
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spring — the season
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. stock — a soup base

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