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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. lean — thin
  4. mug — to rob
  5. tube — the underground
  6. spring — the season
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. stock — shares
  9. mug — a face
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — a coil
  15. tube — a container
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spring — of water
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lean — to bend

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