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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wax — to grow
  3. tear — from crying
  4. key — for a lock
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — in music
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — the most important part
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tear — to rip
  18. stock — shares
  19. mark — a grade
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ball — a great time
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. tear — from crying

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