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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 difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cell — a phone
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. cell — in biology
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — the season
  12. stock — goods
  13. can — a tin
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. can — a tin
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. court — for sport
  24. wax — for sculpting

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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