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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. net — for catching
  5. bound — tied together
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rest — a break
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bound — certain
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. plane — a tool
  20. deal — to handle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wax — to grow
  23. net — in sport
  24. deal — a big deal

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