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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pit — a hole
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. band — a music group
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stock — goods
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lie — to recline
  16. band — a ring
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stock — shares
  24. date — on the calendar

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