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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.

Make a worksheet

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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stock — shares
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. root — the cause
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. track — to keep track
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. track — a song
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. root — of a plant
  19. season — of the year
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stock — goods
  24. track — a path

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