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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — a country
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — shares
  8. land — to come down
  9. craft — boats
  10. face — to confront
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. face — to point toward
  20. stock — goods
  21. bore — to drill
  22. land — ground
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bore — to tire

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