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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. can — a tin
  3. track — a path
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — goods
  6. track — a song
  7. craft — boats
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. band — a ring
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wax — to grow
  16. tear — from crying
  17. band — a music group
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. can — a tin
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. track — to keep track
  24. can — to be able to

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