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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stock — goods
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pop — to visit
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. clip — a video
  8. staff — a stick
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. clip — to cut
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. scale — in music
  16. staff — employees
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stock — shares
  24. straw — a straw man

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