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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. stock — shares
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. current — electric
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. net — in sport
  9. current — of water
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. current — happening now
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. season — of the year
  14. net — after costs
  15. wake — a trail
  16. net — for catching
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stock — goods
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wax — to grow

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