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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rest — what's left
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — for sport
  10. shower — rain
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. field — farmland
  14. rest — a break
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stock — shares
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stock — goods
  22. rest — what's left
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rash — a series

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