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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bass — low music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bound — certain
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — obliged
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bound — tied together
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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