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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 124 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. tear — from crying
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. game — a match
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. suit — clothes
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lean — to bend
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lean — thin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bat — the animal
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wake — a trail
  20. suit — to fit
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tear — from crying

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