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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 120 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 best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. scale — in music
  3. land — ground
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. land — to come down
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. land — a country
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stock — goods
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. leaves — of a tree

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