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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lean — thin
  5. row — to paddle
  6. land — to come down
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stock — shares
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — wild animals
  12. land — a country
  13. rule — a law
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. game — a match
  20. rule — government
  21. land — ground
  22. row — a line
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. row — a quarrel

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