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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wax — to grow
  5. stock — goods
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. pass — a permit
  11. object — to protest
  12. spring — of water
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. band — a ring
  17. object — a thing
  18. stock — shares
  19. spring — the season
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spring — a coil
  23. object — an aim
  24. band — a music group

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