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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wax — to grow
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — in golf
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. cold — an illness
  11. swing — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bank — for money
  15. cold — not warm
  16. track — a song
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. stock — goods

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