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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. current — happening now
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stock — goods
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. current — electric
  17. current — of water
  18. rest — a break
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stock — shares
  21. degree — from a university
  22. cap — a lid
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pound — to hit hard

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