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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. tear — from crying
  8. board — to get on
  9. bank — for money
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bank — for money
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tear — to rip
  17. swing — music
  18. roll — a list
  19. bank — of a river
  20. board — a committee
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. swing — to play on

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