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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. ball — a great time
  4. object — to protest
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. club — for golf
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — a group
  9. current — electric
  10. sharp — clever
  11. object — a thing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stock — shares
  15. current — happening now
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. object — an aim
  20. current — of water
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. club — for dancing
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stock — goods

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