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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mine — for digging
  6. clip — to cut
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. rock — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. clip — a video
  14. stock — shares
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. hand — in cards
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. hand — help
  24. wax — to grow

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