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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. file — a tool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. land — a country
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. file — a document
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. board — a committee
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wax — to grow
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stock — shares

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