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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. firm — decided
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. land — a country
  6. stock — goods
  7. cold — an illness
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. suit — in cards
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. suit — to fit
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stock — shares
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. firm — steady
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lean — thin
  22. firm — a company
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lean — to bend

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