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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stock — goods
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stock — shares
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — the month
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — a tool
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mark — a grade
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mark — a trace
  24. march — music

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