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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bore — to tire
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. roll — a list
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — a thing
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. stock — goods
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. march — music
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bass — the fish
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — a measure

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