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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stock — goods
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. clip — a video
  6. stock — shares
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mug — to rob
  16. object — an aim
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wax — to grow
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. coach — a trainer

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