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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. season — in sport
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pop — to visit
  6. staff — employees
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stock — goods
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. staff — a stick
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pop — soda
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. staff — employees
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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