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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. net — for catching
  3. root — of a word
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. band — a music group
  7. net — in sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bore — to tire
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stock — goods
  17. band — a ring
  18. bore — to drill
  19. net — after costs
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — the cause
  22. wax — to grow
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stock — shares

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