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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. game — a match
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. object — a thing
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. object — to protest
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bank — of a river
  15. stock — goods
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stock — shares
  19. wax — to grow
  20. object — an aim
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. kid — child
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. game — wild animals

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