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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stock — goods
  3. object — to protest
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ball — a great time
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. object — an aim
  12. spring — of water
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. race — humankind
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. race — the arms race
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. spell — magic
  22. object — a thing
  23. prune — to trim
  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