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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. net — in sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stock — goods
  5. suit — clothes
  6. track — a song
  7. stock — shares
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. track — a path
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. file — a tool
  16. track — to keep track
  17. suit — in cards
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. suit — to fit
  23. wax — to grow
  24. 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