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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. club — for golf
  5. season — in sport
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. club — a group
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stock — shares
  11. bank — for money
  12. pop — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pop — soda
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stock — goods
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — of the year
  22. bank — for money
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pop — to visit

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