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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. scale — size or range
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stock — shares
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. face — to confront
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. scale — in music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wax — to grow
  14. face — to point toward
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stem — to come from
  18. craft — boats
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stock — goods
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stem — a stem cell

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