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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pound — a weight
  3. spring — the season
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. plane — a tool
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bear — the animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spring — of water
  12. present — there
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. present — a gift
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. present — the time now

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