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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stock — shares
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. tear — to rip
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stock — goods
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chip — to eat
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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