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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stock — shares
  3. net — for catching
  4. tube — a container
  5. stock — goods
  6. file — a line of people
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bass — the fish
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. hand — in cards
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. hand — help
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. net — in sport
  17. file — a tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. file — a document
  22. wax — to grow
  23. net — after costs
  24. stand — to bear

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