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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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. bark — to shout
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — to breed
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stock — goods
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — help
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. stock — a soup base

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