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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cap — a lid
  3. file — a document
  4. bank — for money
  5. cap — of ice
  6. land — ground
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. land — to come down
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cap — a hat
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. stock — shares
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — a country
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stock — goods
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bowl — a dish

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