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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 best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stock — shares
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stock — goods
  12. current — electric
  13. track — a song
  14. wake — a trail
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rock — music
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. clip — a video
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. current — of water
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. track — a path

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