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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stock — goods
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. kid — to tease
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — to handle
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. saw — the tool
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. season — in sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. hand — help
  14. kid — child
  15. stand — to bear
  16. season — of the year
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stock — shares

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