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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. ground — a position
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mug — a cup
  9. roll — a list
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. stock — goods
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stock — shares
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mug — a face
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bulb — for light

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