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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. current — happening now
  4. row — to paddle
  5. spring — of water
  6. stock — goods
  7. current — electric
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — to wash
  10. current — of water
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spring — a coil
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. face — to confront
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stock — shares
  21. spring — the season
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stock — a soup base

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