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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — to go on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. last — final
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. branch — a division
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. last — finally
  19. stock — shares
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. perch — the fish
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wake — a trail

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