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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stock — goods
  3. staff — a stick
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. field — farmland
  7. wax — to grow
  8. staff — employees
  9. field — for sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. current — happening now
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. current — of water
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rush — hurry
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. current — electric

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