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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 120 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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stock — shares
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stock — goods
  7. ground — a position
  8. mark — a trace
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mate — a partner
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ground — crushed
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mark — to pay attention

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