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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stock — goods
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. plane — a tool
  21. stock — shares
  22. hand — help
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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