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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stem — to come from
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lean — thin
  10. can — a tin
  11. suit — to fit
  12. land — ground
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stock — shares
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. can — a tin
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lean — to bend
  20. land — a country
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stock — goods
  24. land — to come down

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