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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 124 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. kid — to tease
  5. ground — a position
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stock — goods
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fine — all right
  19. branch — a division
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rush — hurry

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