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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 do you think of the new ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. last — to go on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — final
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. last — finally
  19. spell — letters
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. spell — magic

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