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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. land — to come down
  3. wax — to grow
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — shares
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — a country
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. land — ground
  14. lean — thin
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. lean — to bend
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wax — in the ear

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