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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wax — to grow
  6. shower — rain
  7. current — electric
  8. land — to come down
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. current — happening now
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. current — of water
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bear — the animal
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. dip — to sink
  24. land — ground

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