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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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468
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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pop — music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stock — goods
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. tear — from crying
  13. craft — boats
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to click
  19. stock — shares
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tear — from crying
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pop — to visit

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