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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. land — to come down
  5. stock — goods
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. land — a country
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. land — ground
  17. wind — moving air
  18. date — the fruit
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stock — shares
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. date — on the calendar

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