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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stock — goods
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rash — hasty
  9. squash — to crush
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — a series
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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