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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wax — to grow
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. row — a line
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. row — to paddle
  19. field — farmland
  20. lie — to recline
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. plane — a tool

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