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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rash — hasty
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fall — the season
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. saw — the tool

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