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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. wax — to grow
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. land — to come down
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. land — ground
  11. stock — goods
  12. fall — the season
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fall — to drop
  16. degree — from a university
  17. land — a country
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stock — shares

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