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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. content — happy
  7. bear — the animal
  8. roll — a cake
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bear — the animal
  15. roll — a list
  16. stock — shares
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. content — the amount
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stock — goods

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