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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. content — the amount
  3. chest — a box
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. stock — goods
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a cake
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. roll — a list
  19. chest — of your body
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bore — to drill
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bore — to tire
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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