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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. key — for a lock
  5. stock — goods
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stock — shares
  12. key — in music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. land — a country
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fan — to cool the air

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