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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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Word bank
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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wax — to grow
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stock — shares
  11. degree — from a university
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. stock — goods
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. saw — the tool

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