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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mug — a face
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mug — a cup
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stock — goods
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rash — hasty
  24. lie — an untruth

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