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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. chest — of your body
  11. toast — bread
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lean — to bend
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wound — an injury
  17. row — to paddle
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. lean — thin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. row — a line
  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