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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. degree — temperature
  3. wound — an injury
  4. current — happening now
  5. stock — shares
  6. current — of water
  7. degree — an amount
  8. stock — goods
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — for catching
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — after costs
  16. can — a tin
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. current — electric
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fall — the season
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. degree — from a university

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