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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ground — a position
  4. stock — goods
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. object — an aim
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a tool
  10. object — to protest
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. object — a thing
  14. ground — the earth
  15. file — a document
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. plane — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stock — shares
  23. ground — crushed
  24. charge — electricity

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