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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. present — there
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. land — a country
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. present — a gift
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — shares
  13. bass — low music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. land — ground
  16. present — the time now
  17. bass — the fish
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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