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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 best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. current — electric
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. snap — to click
  7. wax — to grow
  8. track — a path
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. current — of water
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. track — a song
  18. tube — the underground
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. current — happening now
  22. tube — a container
  23. season — in sport
  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