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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — of water
  4. court — of a king
  5. spring — a coil
  6. court — for sport
  7. stock — shares
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. court — of law
  12. spring — the season
  13. wax — to grow
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. current — of water
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stock — goods
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wax — for sculpting

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