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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stock — goods
  3. season — in sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stock — shares
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. season — of the year
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bound — certain
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. wax — for sculpting

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