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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. stock — shares
  5. rule — government
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stock — goods
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bank — of a river
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — a law
  15. bank — for money
  16. clip — to cut
  17. wax — to grow
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. present — the time now
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — a video
  24. straw — a straw man

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