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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 124 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rash — a series
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — a trail
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. track — a song
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chest — a box
  22. track — a path
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rash — on the skin

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