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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. suit — clothes
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. stock — shares
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. suit — in cards
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — a stick
  21. net — for catching
  22. bulb — for light
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. net — after costs

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