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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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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stock — shares
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. craft — boats
  10. stock — goods
  11. season — of the year
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — in sport
  15. deal — to handle
  16. staff — employees
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. craft — a skill
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wax — to grow

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