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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stock — shares
  3. season — in sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. vault — a safe
  7. stock — goods
  8. mate — a partner
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. squash — the sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wax — to grow
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mark — a grade
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mate — to breed
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. stock — a soup base

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