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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 116 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rash — hasty
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. branch — a division
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stock — shares
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. last — final

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