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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wax — to grow
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. land — ground
  15. stock — shares
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bound — certain
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bound — tied together
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bound — obliged

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