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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stock — shares
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — to grow
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bore — to tire
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. current — happening now
  10. stock — goods
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. current — of water
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kid — to tease
  20. current — electric
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bore — to drill
  24. kid — child

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