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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. spell — magic
  4. spring — of water
  5. lean — thin
  6. craft — boats
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stock — shares
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spell — letters
  20. chest — a box
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stock — goods

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