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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bound — obliged
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bound — tied together
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bound — certain
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stock — shares
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rock — music
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. shower — rain
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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