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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. present — the time now
  4. track — a song
  5. spell — letters
  6. wax — to grow
  7. squash — to crush
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. squash — the sport
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — magic
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — thin
  22. track — to keep track
  23. stock — goods
  24. track — a path

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