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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rest — a break
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pound — a weight
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. fine — all right
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stock — goods
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cold — not warm

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