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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 best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stock — goods
  5. lie — to recline
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stock — shares
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. safe — out of danger

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