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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. current — happening now
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stock — shares
  5. current — of water
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — electric
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — help
  24. mine — for digging

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