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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stock — shares
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. branch — a division
  12. wax — to grow
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. stock — goods
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pass — a permit
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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