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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bank — for money
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rock — music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bark — to shout
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wake — a trail

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