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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. content — the amount
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. face — to confront
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — to grow
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stock — goods
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wax — for sculpting

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