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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stock — shares
  5. bound — tied together
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. present — there
  10. bound — certain
  11. capital — a city
  12. wake — a trail
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. present — a gift
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bound — obliged
  18. club — for dancing
  19. present — the time now
  20. club — for golf
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. club — a group
  23. capital — money
  24. wax — to grow

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