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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. prune — to trim
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — to come down
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — in music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stock — shares
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. land — a country
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — the most important part
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — soda
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — ground
  22. pop — music
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wax — for sculpting

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