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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. degree — temperature
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. object — a thing
  12. degree — from a university
  13. spring — the season
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. object — to protest
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stock — shares
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stock — goods
  23. object — an aim
  24. rest — what's left

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