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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. stock — goods
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ground — a position
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bulb — for light
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. branch — a division
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stock — shares
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pit — a hole

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