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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. can — to be able to
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bear — the animal
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — to grow
  9. craft — boats
  10. cue — for pool
  11. stock — shares
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. can — a tin
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stock — goods
  23. field — farmland
  24. stock — a soup base

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