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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. firm — steady
  6. band — a ring
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. band — a music group
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. firm — a company
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitch — completely
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stock — goods

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