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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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 — goods
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cap — of ice
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — shares
  10. pop — soda
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — music
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cell — a phone
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  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