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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. branch — a division
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rush — hurry
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stock — goods
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. can — a tin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. can — a tin
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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