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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mug — a cup
  3. root — of a word
  4. land — ground
  5. stock — shares
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. root — of a plant
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. file — a document
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stock — goods
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mug — a face
  23. root — the cause
  24. file — a tool

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