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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. root — of a word
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — all right
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — a coil
  9. root — the cause
  10. firm — a company
  11. spring — of water
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stock — goods
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. stock — shares
  16. firm — steady
  17. spring — the season
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fan — a supporter

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