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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. stock — shares
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — a series
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spell — letters
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — the fish
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. spell — a short time
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wax — to grow
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stock — goods
  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