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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. current — happening now
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. saw — the tool
  6. last — finally
  7. stock — shares
  8. saw — the tool
  9. current — of water
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. last — to go on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. last — final
  14. ground — the earth
  15. current — electric
  16. wax — to grow
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ground — crushed
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ground — a position
  24. arm — part of the body

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