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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stock — shares
  5. object — to protest
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. object — an aim
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. tear — from crying
  14. stock — goods
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. tear — from crying
  22. object — a thing
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tear — to rip

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