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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — rain
  4. last — finally
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — ground
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. lean — thin
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. last — to go on
  19. cue — a signal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. last — final
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — to wash
  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