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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stock — goods
  5. kid — to tease
  6. wax — to grow
  7. track — a path
  8. pit — a hole
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bark — to shout
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kid — child
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. pit — in a race
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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