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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. wound — an injury
  3. roll — a cake
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. roll — a list
  8. club — a group
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spell — a short time
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stock — shares
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — goods
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. spell — magic
  22. club — for golf
  23. spell — letters
  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