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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rash — hasty
  3. craft — boats
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stock — shares
  6. wax — to grow
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stock — goods
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wake — a trail
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. stock — a soup base

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