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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 120 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. foot — a measure
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. plane — a tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. scale — in music
  14. charge — a price
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. charge — electricity
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. charge — in control
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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