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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stock — goods
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. degree — from a university
  6. wound — an injury
  7. field — farmland
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. field — for sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — a subject
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bore — to tire

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