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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. stock — goods
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. track — a path
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. track — to keep track
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. row — a line
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. row — to paddle
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. track — a song
  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