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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. dip — to sink
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pit — in a race
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cell — in biology
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cell — a phone
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stock — goods
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. shower — rain
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wax — in the ear

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