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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rush — hurry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. spell — letters
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. roll — a list
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. spell — magic
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stock — goods
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. spell — a short time
  19. plane — a tool
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tube — a container
  24. roll — a cake

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