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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. season — in sport
  3. wax — to grow
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. season — of the year
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. file — a document
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fan — a supporter

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