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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. can — to be able to
  3. ground — a position
  4. stock — goods
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. can — a tin
  7. stock — shares
  8. content — the amount
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. content — happy
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — the earth
  23. can — a tin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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