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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. land — a country
  4. capital — a city
  5. land — to come down
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. mug — a cup
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mug — a face
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stock — goods
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mug — to rob
  21. land — ground
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. capital — money

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