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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stock — shares
  8. pop — to visit
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — a series
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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