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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pitch — completely
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — goods
  10. staff — employees
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stock — shares
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — a stick

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