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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stock — goods
  5. content — happy
  6. fork — in a road
  7. land — to come down
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bass — low music
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. track — a song
  16. land — ground
  17. wax — to grow
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. content — the amount
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. bass — the instrument

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