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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fine — high quality
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fork — in a road
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wax — to grow
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. stock — goods
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fine — all right
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fork — to eat with

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