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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bass — the fish
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. degree — temperature
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. wax — to grow
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bass — low music
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bound — certain
  24. wax — in the ear

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