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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a document
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. sharp — clever
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bass — low music
  12. staff — employees
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. file — a tool
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. sharp — exactly

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