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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. root — of a word
  3. band — a music group
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rush — hurry
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. root — the cause
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — shares
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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