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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stock — goods
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hand — help
  9. charge — in control
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stock — shares
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bound — certain
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. charge — a price
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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