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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. current — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. perch — the fish
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. net — for catching
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — to grow
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stock — goods

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