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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 124 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — farmland
  4. kick — in football
  5. stock — shares
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wax — to grow
  8. object — a thing
  9. can — a tin
  10. object — an aim
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hand — help
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stock — goods
  20. date — the fruit
  21. can — a tin
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — to protest

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