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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stock — goods
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. capital — money
  14. snap — to click
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mug — a face
  18. capital — a city
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mug — a cup
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. capital — a big letter

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