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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 difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wax — to grow
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stock — goods
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. object — to protest
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. object — an aim
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stock — shares
  21. object — a thing
  22. row — a line
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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