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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — goods
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. can — a tin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. bat — for baseball
  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