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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 120 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. firm — decided
  8. stock — goods
  9. firm — steady
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mark — a grade
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. firm — a company
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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