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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. staff — a stick
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — clever
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — for sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mark — a grade
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stock — shares

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