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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. clip — for paper
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rock — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. can — a tin
  18. stock — goods
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. clip — a video

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