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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bound — tied together
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — shares
  5. last — to go on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. march — music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cap — of ice
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — obliged
  16. spell — letters
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spell — magic
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stock — a soup base

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