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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. board — a committee
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stock — goods
  6. shower — to wash
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. field — for sport
  9. board — to get on
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. field — farmland
  14. stock — shares
  15. craft — a skill
  16. press — a publisher
  17. field — a subject
  18. press — to push
  19. wax — to grow
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mark — to pay attention

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