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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — hasty
  9. club — a group
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wax — to grow
  12. object — to protest
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. club — for golf
  18. object — a thing
  19. rash — a series
  20. object — an aim
  21. stock — goods
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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