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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bat — the animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. stock — shares
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stock — goods
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. bowl — to roll

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