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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bank — for money
  4. shower — rain
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — a coil
  7. stock — shares
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spring — of water
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. spring — the season
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. scale — in music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bank — of a river
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. shower — to wash

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