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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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. stock — a soup base
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — in sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. tear — to rip
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. season — of the year
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. present — there
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. present — a gift
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. stock — goods
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — the time now
  23. wake — a trail
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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