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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — to grow
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bore — to tire
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — shares
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. bore — to drill
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. plane — a tool
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ruler — for measuring

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