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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bark — to shout
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — the underground
  7. field — a subject
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. field — for sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. field — farmland
  19. stock — shares
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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