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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. file — a tool
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. charge — a price
  6. wax — to grow
  7. charge — in control
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stock — goods
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. file — a line of people
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. charge — electricity
  22. file — a document
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stock — shares

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