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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. stock — goods
  8. bass — the fish
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stock — shares
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. current — of water
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. dip — to sink
  18. ground — a position
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. ground — the earth
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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