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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wax — to grow
  3. net — after costs
  4. swing — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. firm — decided
  9. swing — in golf
  10. net — in sport
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cap — a lid
  13. plane — a tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stock — shares
  17. prune — to trim
  18. firm — a company
  19. cap — of ice
  20. firm — steady
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cap — a hat
  24. net — for catching

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