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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. drill — army training
  4. tube — the underground
  5. scale — size or range
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stock — shares
  8. shower — rain
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. drill — a practice
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wax — to grow
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. tube — a container
  20. shower — to wash
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stock — goods

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