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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stock — shares
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. key — the most important part
  9. craft — boats
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. key — in music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stock — goods
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. key — for a lock

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