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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stock — goods
  4. game — a match
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. stock — shares
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chip — for betting
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bark — to shout
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. band — a ring
  23. game — wild animals
  24. trunk — of a tree

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