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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mate — a friend
  7. row — a line
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. dip — to sink
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stock — goods
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mate — to breed
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. stock — shares
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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