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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 116 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 difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — to grow
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bass — low music
  9. shower — to wash
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. lean — thin
  12. vault — a safe
  13. stock — goods
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pound — a weight
  19. shower — rain
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. stock — shares
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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